Survival Of The Fittest
by Matsuyan
Summary: Nine teenagers on their way to Kalos are caught in a plane crash. Each must contribute to survive on the island. What will they do when faced with tough decisions, conflicting emotions, and... cannibals? Only fate and perseverance can save them now. Rated T for language, light gore, and other implications -Ikarishipping•Oldrivalshipping•Contestshipping•Pokeshipping DROPPING FOR NOW
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, so this is my first fanfic and I'm quite excited about it.**

 **If I make any mistakes I apologize in advance for it, but I'll be trying my best.**

 **Feel free to give it a little review, I'm open to any thoughts.**

 **Anyways, here you go!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:**

 **I do not own Pokemon, I mean, if I did I wouldn't be writing this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1-**

 _POV: Paul_

 _8:30 am._

Just on time. I slung my gray and black travel bag over my shoulder. Reggie had suggested I take a break from battling with my pokemon. Apparently I was overworking them too much so he sent me off on what is supposed to be a vacation.

So here I am now, boarding a plane which is supposed to take me 'somewhere great'. What irritates me is that Reggie refused to tell me where I was going. He simply dropped me off, forbidding me to look at the passport. I don't really know why I listened to him, but I guess a surprise is always nice every once in a while.

After all, I don't exactly possess a whole lot of curiosity. I turned away from my thoughts, getting my boarding pass out for the check. With a small sigh I waited in the line for my turn. It was moving pretty quickly, but I still decided to take the time to look around.

There were many people standing in the line and around. Several in front of me, going through the pass check and multiple others behind me, waiting patiently. However as my eyes flickered around, they caught sight of a girl.

She had some pretty striking features and he had to admit, she was attractive. Her back-length cobalt hair flowed out from her white beanie. And she stood quietly, not saying a word as she too waited. His interest was definitely piqued.

"Sir."

A voice called out, it was fairly audible so I guess it was directed towards me.

"Sorry." I muttered, handing the woman in front of me my boarding pass.

She checked it over before allowing me to continue onward towards the plane.

I stepped up and onto the airliner and found my seat with little difficulties. Quickly, my hands worked to stow my carry-on away in the overhead bins. The other passengers were boarding and as much as I'd love to argue a little, I decided I should get out of the way as soon as possible.

Pulling out a small dark purple MP3 player, I took my seat closest to the window. More and more passengers piled in as I listened to my playlist.

Across from my seat sat a boy about my age with black hair and a red hat. A red scarf wrapped around his neck and trailed down his right shoulder.

I noticed the slightly relaxed yet confident look on his face. However, my observations were interrupted as a girl sat down right next to him. Not just any girl.

 _That_ girl.

My eye twitched a little when she began talking to the boy. I stopped my music to listen in a little. Usually, I find eavesdropping incredibly rude, but I just couldn't help myself. A scowl found it's way to my face when she introduced herself with a wide grin on her face.

How on earth could she strike up a conversation that quickly with a complete stranger?

Such an interesting girl she was. I could tell even when I haven't spoken with her yet.

"Yeah? Well at least I'm not brimming with the arrogance you have. What girl would want to date you, you grass-headed bastard?!"

With a loud thump, a brown haired girl flopped down in one of the two seats in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, just before she sat down, I noticed a red bandana around her head.

"Chill out, Maple, I'll have you know lots of girls would be dying to have a date with me. You should be grateful that you even get the chance to talk to me."

I heard a second voice, which was way more masculine reply to the fuming brunette. Pretending to be listening to music, I put my earphones back in. The 'grass-headed bastard' was another boy about my age with chartreuse hair. As he was sitting down I noticed he flinched and pulled back a little. I'm guessing the girl smacked his arm or something.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" The bandana girl almost hissed.

"I'm eating a puppy, _June_." I could sense the sarcasm dripping from his voice, staying quiet, I continued listening in on their conversation. My hands fiddled with a little section of my hair as I realized my hair color was just as strange as his.

" _Right_." The girl replied to him. In my head I could picture her rolling her eyes at the grass-head.

"I'm asking why the hell you're sitting down next to me." She spoke again. This girl was a little feisty, I gave a small grunt of amusement. Luckily no one heard me.

"Obviously if I'm sitting down here it means that it's my seat. Get a brain will you, April?"

"Shut up, my name's not April, June, July, August, March, or any other stupid month and nickname you could come up with. And at least I don't flirt with everyone I see!"

I could hear her clearly through my earphones now, she was practically yelling. Several other passengers were staring at them now. Including that blue-haired girl and the black haired boy.

"How rude!" Grass-head crossed his arms and gave a dramatic huff. "I only flirt with pretty girls." He turned his back to her, still blocking the row. More people were piling on, obviously irritated because they couldn't get to their seats. "Which is why I haven't flirted with you." His mouth curved into a smirk as he added that with a hair flick.

That was it. I flinched as Bandana Girl burst with rage. She was hurting my ears with her screaming and I was surprised that a flight attendant hadn't said something yet.

"Why you little-" The girl paused for a second. "Wait- then how do you explain the roses?!"

"They were for your dazzling beautifly who is much more appealing than you."

"Screw you! You know, I oughtta-"

"Shut the hell up!" I yelled. More eyes stared at me as I continued. "You're disrupting everyone so just sit the fuck down!" My eyes narrowed. Usually I don't raise my voice, but this wasn't amusing anymore.

Grass-head stared at me in surprise before sitting down. I'm guessing Bandana Girl didn't have the guts to yell at him after my outburst. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, out of the corner of my eye I could see the girl with the azure hair. There were way too many ways I could describe her hair, I couldn't refer to that hair with just one word.

It was quiet for a few more minutes until two more slightly irritating people sat down in the seats behind my row and diagonal from mine. Two brunettes, one spiky haired boy and yet another girl with long hair. Much longer than that one girl's hair.

Although, the girl was quiet and wasn't as annoying as the boy. The one with spiky hair made several flirt attempts with her, but he was simply brushed off. He definitely looked like a player. I decided to eavesdrop on them too.

"So, want to go out with me?"

"No."

"What?! Why not?!"

"I don't know you."

"Well now you do."

"I don't even know your name."

"Gary. Gary Oak."

"I never said I wanted to know."

"Well, now you do know so tell me yours."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

Wow. I observed the two out of the corner of my eye. That spiky haired player was definitely persistent. Gary continued pestering her until finally I caught another name.

"Fine! My name is Leaf Green, now please leave me alone!"

Leaf Green. Now that was a pretty interesting name. I sat for a minute to think a bit about what surprise place Reggie was sending me too. It obviously had to be somewhere that was a popular tourist attraction for young people given the fact that I had so many teenagers sitting around me.

Several more minutes and yet the plane had still not taken off. It was getting a little more crowded now. The seats were filling up quickly but the seat behind me still remain vacant. Just as I was thinking about that, a raven haired boy with a red cap plopped down behind me.

He flashed me a friendly grin when he walked past to get behind me. Odd, I don't think anyone has ever given me a smile since I boarded. I turned my attention away from the blue haired girl across from me. She was still preoccupied with the boy next to her. It was a little irritating.

The number of passengers boarding died down and soon the final person boarded. She strode past me and sat right next to the raven haired boy in the seat behind me. Her hair was a fiery ginger color and was pulled into a side ponytail.

I could tell just by looking at her that she had a temper. Another sigh escaped my mouth, I wasn't in the mood to listen in. Although the next voice to speak was so loud and cheerful that I was taken back a bit.

"Hi there, my name is Ash Ketchum!" His voice rang out from behind my seat. It was so upbeat and coated with happiness and glee that it was almost sickening.

"I'm Misty. Nice to meet you." I heard the ginger's response. It wasn't as girly as I expected it to be.

Now that I had indirectly met most of the other teenagers around my seat I had lost interest. After about 15 more minutes of listening to my MP3 player an announcement stating that the plane was taking flight was made. I gave a very, very small smile. It was getting a little boring listening to the same songs over and over again.

The clouds were fluffy and bright, it was now the middle of the afternoon. It had been several hours since I first arrived and boarded the aircraft. The girl next to me, the blue haired one, had just finished talking to the irritating black haired boy.

Seems like she can't stand sitting in silence for very long because the girl turned to look at me. She almost caught me staring at her, the thought of that made me blush slightly. Not that it was visible in any way though.

"Hello!"

The girl gave me a soft smile. A smile that would've made my heart race. But, unfortunately I was not that kind of person. "Hi." I replied with a grunt. Anybody else would've frowned at me and turned away, but this girl was a bit different.

"My name is Dawn." She held her smile and spoke with what I thought was the most patient tone anyone, aside from Reggie, has ever had with me.

"Paul.." I grumbled in response. To be honest I would've replied with a tone that was a lot kinder but I guess it was just my nature to be rude. Dawn reached over the aisle with her hand extended to shake my hand. I raised an eyebrow before giving in with yet another sigh. My hand met hers with a friendly handshake.

Her hand was really soft and slim, nothing compared to Reggie's. That was probably the first time I've ever made physical contact with a living female. Usually I try my best to distance myself from girls who I deem irritating.

"So, what are you going to do when we reach Kalos?" She asked.

Alright, we just met and she was already prying. But I guess it wasn't an overly personal question. I decided to let it slide for now-but wait. Did she just say Kalos?

"Is that where we're going?" My voice seemed a bit agitated.

"Yes..." Dawn replied, obviously confused. Her eyebrows furrowed when she picked up on the very clear hint of irritation in my voice.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

"Than why do you sound like you aren't interested in conversing with me?"

"Whatever."

I simply growled and turned my head back to face forward. My ears picked up on an exasperated sigh which spilled from her mouth. Dawn's head turned and she immediately started up yet another conversation with the boy with the scarf and red hat.

Soon enough I found myself glaring at that kid.

"Hey, what's up with you?" A voice with a hint of laughter disrupted my 'concentration'.

It was the grass-head. The boy in front of me, poked his head out from the side of the seat to look at me.

"Nothing." I snapped at him.

"Whoa, whoa, chill out, man!" He gave another care-free laugh. His emerald green eyes pierced mine straight back.

"The name's Drew. _The Drew Hayden."_

"And why would I care?" I growled at him, crossing my arms.

"Because you look like you don't have any friends. However! You're in luck, because I have decided to be your friend!" Drew announced with an arrogant tone. My eye twitched, this guy was getting on my nerves already.

"You know, Grass-head here doesn't have any friends himself because he's so cocky." Another voice erupted from the seat. Bandana Girl leaned over and just barely stuck her head out above Drew's to look at me.

"W-well! You're certainly right, Maple because the only friends I have are girlfriends!" He tried to boast about it but I simply narrowed my eyes and frowned.

She sighed and shook her head. The brunette turned her attention back to me. I noted her blue eyes that seemed to be sparkling and her hairstyle which looked a lot like two dog ears. Does she _like_ arguing with that guy?

"May Maple. I'd shake your hand, but this large clump of grass is in the way."

What is up with people and hand shakes these days?

"Paul." I murmured.

"Last name?" Drew inquired.

"Why does it matter?" I snapped at him once more. My temper was showing these days which irritated me. I'm supposed to be the cool, chill, powerful trainer that hardly ever gets enraged. The looks on their faces were very strange and almost foreign to me. May snorted and looked fed up with my personality yet Drew looked oddly friendly for an 'arrogant grass-head'.

"Just askin', there are a lot of people named 'Paul' out there." He shrugged before smirking.

"Getting comfortable, March?" Drew had just noticed May leaned over him and resting her chin on his head. I could see her flush with embarrassment as she pulled back and sat back down in her seat.

"That never gets old." He laughed to me.

It had been about 6 hours since we took off. 6 hours of conversing with these passengers and staring blankly out the plane window. Although I haven't spoken to the boy with the spiky hair or the other brunette girl. They were pretty much off in their own little world. The boy would try and flirt with her a bit and she'd simply give him either an irritated or blunt answer. Meanwhile the raven haired boy with the cap was energetically chatting with the red-head.

Suddenly a loud announcement was made.

 _"We are currently having technical difficulties, please stay seated and await further instructions."_

That definitely did not sound good. Soon enough, murmurs erupted from the passengers in my area. Dawn quickly wrapped up her conversation with that one boy next to her and looked around. I noticed how her fists clenched around the arm rests of the seat. She turned and looked at me with what I could see was a terrified look on her face.

This could only mean one thing.

The announcement was turned on again.

 _"Please brace for impact."_

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 **So this concludes chapter 1 of my fanfic!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I encourage you to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay!**

 **So I'm moving on to the next chapter of my newly created fanfic.**

 **I reread my last chapter several times and it actually made me cringe a little.**

 **Once more, I apologize for all the errors I made in the last chapter.**

 **Also, I do understand that it was a little rushed too so I'll do my best to fix that too.**

 **Oh, and to JustinThePokemonMaster and Shadow Rosealine:**

 **Wow, thanks a lot! I'm glad you enjoyed it ^-^**

 **Alright!**

 **I'm really confident in my writing skills right now, so I'm going to give it another go with chapter 2.**

 **Please be patient out there with me and review ^-^!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:***

I _do not_ own pokemon but I do own several cards c:

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

" _Please brace for impact."_

Paul quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and moved from his seat right next to the window to the seat closest to the aisle. He hastily buckled himself to the second seat and attempted to tuck himself into a ball. If the glass broke or if anything fell on him than at least his internal organs would be safe.

 _'Good thinking.'_ The violet haired boy praised himself mentally.

Panicked screams from the other passengers began to irritate him. Paul knew that the situation was scary, but screaming wasn't going to help anyone. The plane was beginning to lose altitude and Paul could feel it dropping. What would he do if he died? Surely Reggie, being his only family, would mourn for ages.

No.

He couldn't do that to Reggie. Not when they had already lost their parents.

 _Tilting. Tilting._

It was terrifying. The way the horrifying shrieks of the other people onboard rose as the aircraft plummeted from the sky. Paul hoped that luck was on their side. If they landed in water, at least the plane wouldn't explode.

His eyes peeked out from where his arms covered his head. The boy with the scarf and the red hat, the one who sat next to Dawn, had his arm protectively around her.

Paul could feel his blood boiling.

Even in a situation like this, he was aggravated with the way the two were so close. But why should he be angry? He thought about it for a couple seconds. The tough trainer knew perfectly well that the girl was not _'his'._ And Paul knew that he had absolutely no right to be angry over an acquaintance of his.

This feeling was absolutely foreign to him.

Reggie had tried to explain this stuff to him before, but of course he didn't listen. He never listened to what Reggie had to say. His head began to hurt a little, it felt foggy and a bit strange.

It felt hot. The inside of the plane was incredibly hot. He waited and waited for the plane to crash, seconds seemed like hours. Paul decided to block out the screams of terror filling the airliner with his MP3 player. The music was soothing and it relaxed him as he continued to stand by.

Clenching his fists, he pulled his arms closer to his body. His eyes that flickered around the area where he was sitting caught sight of Gary and Leaf. Gary was trying to throw himself over Leaf to _'protect'_ her, however the girl simply shoved him in the chest away.

Paul let out a small laugh. In a moment where we're all falling helplessly to our potential death, they're still acting the same as usual. Great. Because of Reggie's stupid idea to send him on a 'vacation' he was now skyrocketing to his death. Everything was Reggie's fault. All Reggie's. If he had just stayed out of his business then this wouldn't be happening. His pokemon were used to hard, strict training. What was different this time?

He closed his eyes, Reggie always believed in fate and destiny.

Such things were pathetic and useless to Paul.

 _"Hard work is the only thing that will ever get you anywhere."_ Is what Paul would normally say.

However since there is nothing he can do as the seconds before crashing pass by, he might as well leave it up to fate to decide what happens.

* * *

"If we don't survive this, April, I want you to know I'm sorry for everything I've ever said and done to you."

Drew reached over and hugged his long-time rival. Her body shifted and leaned into him as the aircraft descended from the clouds at a high speed.

"Do you really mean that, you grass-headed bastard?" May sniffed, crying in fear.

"Yes, and I want you to know something." He shouted over the screams so she could hear him better.

"What?"

"I _really_ hate you."

Drew felt her tighten her grip around him.

"I hate you more."

It was burning up in the plane and the fact that they were practically sharing body heat through their hug didn't help.

"Let go of me." May suddenly looked up at him with soft eyes.

"Why?!" The chartreuse haired boy stared at her with slightly panicked eyes.

"Because I don't want to die in the arms of a cocky, arrogant, moronic, grass-headed bastard."

As he let go, Drew swore he saw her grin.

* * *

 _It crashed._

 _It burned._

 _Unfortunately, it did not plunge into the ocean._

But his music was still playing.

Paul's eyes snapped open at the sound.

 _Was it real?_

 _Was he alive?_

 _What about the others?_

He frantically looked around, but what he saw was definitely not pretty. It was gruesome and horrifying, even for him. Bodies, bloodied and burnt were everywhere. Slowly, his eyes could make out disgusting shapes and forms of slumped passengers. A gross taste flew to his mouth. Paul felt like throwing up then and there, but he knew it wasn't the time to.

 _How could he be alive?_

 _It was horrible._

 _This is horrible._

 _How could he be alive when so many others around him were dead?_

 _This air is disgusting._

 _It reeks of dreams crushed by the incident._

 _Hope shattered on the spot because of this crash._

 _Everything that was once precious to these people, gone._

The purple haired boy tried to stand up, but his legs were asleep. He grunted and forced himself to move, although it felt very unpleasant. The flaming inside of the plane was getting hotter by the second and he would die if he didn't escape quickly. Paul managed to open up his window wide enough for him to exit. Slinging his bag across his shoulder, he moved to escape.

But something was holding him back. He tossed his bag out the window and approached Dawn. His right hand felt along her wrist for a pulse while the left checked for the boy with the scarf's. As much as he didn't want to save the boy, he knew he would regret not trying if he didn't.

Their pulses were actually in check, although both were unconscious. Now the only question was, 'how to get them both out'. Both must be pretty heavy and he had no extra support. If he didn't hurry, it would be too late to save anyone else who had survived. Suddenly, a tap was felt on his shoulder.

Paul spun around, heart racing he was about to have a panic-attack. Until a voice calmed him a little, "Need some help?"

A man stood right behind him, his pitch black hair and face greasy looking from the heat of the fire. He grunted a _'yes'_ , before picking up Dawn while the other man with the lightly singed face grabbed ahold of the boy. Dawn felt surprisingly light, not feather-light, but fairly easy to lift up. Once they were out the window, the man had Paul prop them both up under a tree nearby.

"Thank you." Paul muttered before following the man into the plane again.

"I'm Red." The man replied before picking up a fairly large bag which lay untouched by the fire. Red hauled the bag out the window while Paul checked pulses of both May and Drew. He could definitely feel the pulse of Drew, but he wasn't so sure about May, or as he liked to call her, Bandana Girl.

"Nnh" Paul's eyes flickered upward towards Drew who was beginning to stir. He roughly grabbed Drew by the shoulders and shook him violently.

"Wake the fuck up!"

"Ehh?" Drew sat up a little. "What the hell, man? Stop that, I already feel shitty enough." He groaned.

"I said, get the fuck up, damn it!" His eyes peered at Drew closely before delivering a hard smack to the side of his face.

Paul put his ear to May's chest, searching for any signs of life.

She was breathing. Which was definitely a relief to Paul.

"Get up, and follow me." He hissed at the green haired boy, slinging May over his shoulder.

Quickly, Paul made his way over to the seats behind where he sat. Where Ash and Misty were supposed to be.

But they weren't there.

"What the-"

"They're outside."

The violet haired teen turned around to look at Red helping a barely conscious Drew out the window. When he caught sight of Red again, Paul noticed that the older man looked a little bit like that Ash kid. Raven black hair, a red cap, and a vest. Wasn't this a little coincidental?

 _Crackle._

The fire was getting bigger, eating away at the plane. It snapped Paul out of his current thoughts about Red. Now was not the time to think about that. With May still in his grasp, he jabbed a finger into Gary's side. Slow rising and falling of the boy's chest reassured Paul. But he wasn't sure if he was conscious or not. It was a bit of work, but he managed to drag both May and Gary out of the Plane through the window.

He was breathing heavily, the weight of the two tired him out. Which surprised him because he hardly ever became fatigued.

"Hey." A friendly voice coughed as he dropped May and Gary down onto the ground. Paul whipped around in the direction of the voice.

It was Ash.

"I never properly introduced myself, but I'm Ash Ketchum." The kid smiled at me, tilting his slightly burned red cap upwards with a hand.

"Paul.." It amazed Paul that this kid was one of the first people, aside from him, to wake up fully conscious. After all, this kid seemed slightly loud and obnoxious.

A small thump startled him out of his thoughts.

"I think that's the last one, the fire blocks off most of it." Red gently placed the Leaf girl onto the ground beside Gary. He looked back at the burning hunk of metal that was once referred to as a plane.

Paul's gaze flickered back to Dawn, who was laying unconscious against the tree with Scarf Boy, May, Drew, and Misty. This couldn't be real, it seemed too unbelievable. His mind refused to allow him to think it was real. Yet his eyes told him otherwise. Even with the other two talking right in front of him, he still found a way to space out.

 _Disturbing._

 _Horrifying._

 _Revolting._

"We should probably start making a camp." The man looked up at Ash and Paul.

"What about the emergency supplies?" Paul inquired.

"Probably all destroyed."

"When can we eat, I'm starving?"

Both turned to stare at Ash.

A scowl spread across the lavender haired boy's face.

"How could you think of eating at a time like this?! There are people passed out on the fucking ground over there! Burning corpses in that flaming piece of shit over there! And we hardly have any god damn supplies to work with!" Paul burst with rage and frustration. His eyes were bloodshot from the smoke, making him look even scarier than he usually looks when he's mad.

Ash lowered his head and muttered an apology while scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Now, now, let's all settle down. First thing's first, getting organized." Red calmly spoke, gathering up some dead leaves and sticks from the ground. He dropped them in a pile before looking up again.

"We can set things up later, but for now, go gather supplies."

Paul nodded and began to walk off.

"Wait a moment!" Red shouted.

He looked and gave Red a skeptical look in response.

"Just, stay close to the area and don't get lost." The man reminded.

A nod confirmed Paul's understanding before he walked down the beach, looking for sharp rocks or anything he deemed edible.

"Let's get this over with.."

* * *

 **Chapter 2 of my lovely noobie fanfic is finally finished!**

 **If possible review!**

 **I'd like to know whether or not this chapter was better than the last!**

 **Point out spelling errors, grammatical errors, anything that will help make this story better.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **~Bear**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we have chapter 3!**

 **Typing this story is really fun.**

 **Especially when I get to play a pissed off Paul who swears alot xD**

 **But maybe I'm getting a little too carried away with it.**

 **Eh?**

 **Oh, and did I forget to mention that there's a little bit of fortuneshipping in here. But it won't be permanent...Hopefully.**

 **So yeah, please review ^.^!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:***

I really wish I owned Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 3:_

 _'Let's get this over with.'_

"Ugh.." Drew rubbed the back of his head. The sky was covered with puffy, gray, clouds. He stuck his hand out in front of him, still in a daze. It began to drizzle, droplets falling gently on his hand. Cold, refreshing water on his face woke him up a bit more.

"Hey, grass-headed bastard."

"Huh-" Flinching in pain, Drew brought his hands down to his stomach. Just then, he noticed May sitting right in front of him. Her face was now clean, although he could still see a faint dark spot on her cheek where she had been burned.

"You okay?" May's bright blue eyes seemed to be peering into his soul. The chartreuse haired boy shivered before lifting up his shirt. A fairly large section of his stomach was scorched. He winced at the sight of it and pulled his shirt back down over it.

"Grass-head?" Drew heard her speak again after a few moments. Without another word, he abruptly stood up and looked around. His head was as cloudy as the sky above.

"Drew!" With slight irritation, May slapped him in the face.

"Ow, what the fuck, Maple?!" As he was about to smack her back, his breath hitched. Everything made sense now, waking up in the woods, burns, smoke in the air. That's right, he and the other passengers never made it to Kalos did they?

 _Then...Was he really alive right now?_

Drew reached over and grabbed May's red bandana.

"Hey, give that back!" The brunette shouted at him, frantically grabbing at it. But he was far taller than her, especially since he was standing up and she was sitting down. It felt silky and smooth, despite the lightly charred parts on the front.

Soothing was what it was.

"You done flirting with each other?" He looked up to see two boys that looked about his age walking towards them with several large rocks in their arms. The one with violet hair looked at him with cold, coal black eyes. Although he had just made an attempt to tease him and May, Drew couldn't detect any sign of humor. Now it was just awkward, the way he bluntly asked that as if it were a serious question.

"Good try, Paul."

His attention turned to the other boy who just dropped a silver-gray rock onto the ground with a thud. He had inky black hair which was tucked under a red dusty cap. Drew remembered seeing him enter the plane earlier before the crash.

"If I recall correctly, you're Paul, right?" Memories of the recent events flowed back into his head. With a curt nod, Paul sat down across from him and next to May on a fallen tree. The rain was beginning to clear up and the warm sun greeted them all.

"I'm Ash Ketchum!" A hand was extended to Drew. Ash's face glowed with what he thought was excitement. How could he stay so happy in this scenario? Well, if he was going to act normally than so was Drew.

"My name is Drew Hayden. The one and only." He gave his famous hair flick, rejecting Ash's hand. Of course, he was supposed to be higher up in status than everyone else.

"The one and only bastard." May snorted, mimicking his hair flick.

"What is up with you and calling me a bastard?" Drew glared at the brunette.

"If you're a trainer, you're a trainer. If you're a coordinator, you're a coordinator. And if you're a bastard you're a bastard." She simply shrugged.

"But I'm not a bastard."

"Whatever." Rolling her eyes, May walked away from him and over to Paul.

"So, you're the leader, right? What should we do to help?"

His lavender hair swayed a little as he shook his head with a short grunt.

"Actually, Red's pretty much our 'leader'." Ash pointed to a man who looked almost like an older version of him.

"Red?" Drew followed Ash and May's eyes to the man who was currently building a campfire. Hearing his name being called, Red turned and waved at them. He stood up and walked towards the four. The way he walked couldn't go by unnoticed. It was a cool yet confident stride, very laid back while everyone else remain tense. As if he had been in and through these living conditions and challenges his entire life.

"If you could try and find water, that would be great. When the fire is built then we can simply boil the sea water, but a lake would be a more preferable campsite." May nodded and began to walk into the woods. However Ash quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Rules are you have to travel with a partner." A goofy yet serious grin spread over his face.

"Well, you want to come with me?"

"No, I can't, I have to help Red."

"I can go with her." Drew volunteered with another hair flip.

* * *

Dawn's eyes slowly flickered open. The sunlight gleamed down from between the leaves and the branches of the tree she was propped up against. Warmth spread over the left side of her body. Whatever was next to her was soft and...pleasant.

"Lucas?" Her gaze slowly trailed over to him. First catching sight of his brilliant red scarf that shone out in the light. He looked so peaceful like that, just like he did on the plane. She sat up and looked around, the plane disaster was definitely real, no doubt. But what confused her most was the several other strangers passed out on the ground in front of her.

One was a boy with spiky auburn hair. He had a black polo shirt on with dark gray cargo pants. Dawn had to admit, he was fairly attractive, but almost too attractive to not be a two-timer. The next was a red-head, a ginger, a girl with a fiery look on her face even when she was sleeping now. Her clothes were rather flashy, a bright yellow tank top with suspenders and jean shorts. Not exactly something Dawn would wear.

There was one more on the ground, to her right. A petite girl with chestnut brown hair which fanned out around her. Dawn stared in awe at her, her hair glistened in the sunlight. She clutched a little of her own midnight blue hair. It was nothing compared to that, it's luster just couldn't match up to that.

Then there was Lucas, the boy she had met on the plane. He was real sweet, funny, and got along perfectly with her. It must have been fate that the two had met. Unconsciously, Dawn took ahold of his hand, holding it to her chest.

She froze a little.

 _Voices?_

The light, gentle murmurs of people chatting filled her ears.

Dawn stood up, letting go of Lucas' hand. Silently as possible, she made her way over, closer and closer to the voices. Two other people, a girl with a red bandana and a boy with odd green hair walked side by side into the woods. Then there were several others, all boys, two that look alike, except for the fact that one of them was a tall man who looked like he was in his mid 30's. However the last one caught her eye.

The one with lavender hair looked the least friendly of them all. He wore a grim expression on his face and she recognized him immediately. Dawn thought back to the plane, she remembered making eye-contact with him just before the crash. The look he gave her was very sharp and interesting to her. It was like staring into nothingness. A pair of black holes that showed her now emotion whatsoever.

Even so, they were pacifying. Comforting and soothing, the one thing that pretty much saved her from a heart-attack. Although, it might have been the fact that Lucas had his arm around her the entire time. Dawn wasn't sure anymore.

"Hey there!"

She flinched, they had noticed her.

The younger boy, the one with ebony hair and the cap was waving to her. But it looked more like he was just wildly flailing his arms around. He had a real goofy grin on his face.

Dawn stepped out of the bushes, brushing off her mini-skirt. A optimistic yet gentle smile surfaced her face as she walked towards the three.

"Just in case you're wondering, no one else has woken up."

"But what about you?" Ash tilted his head to the side like a dog. Paul scowled and punched him in the arm.

Red gave a light chuckle before resuming his work on the campfire. He looked up once and motioned Ash to come over and help him. The raven haired boy waved his hand before kneeling down to help Red. That left the two of them alone to do what ever they wanted, preferably something helpful.

"So..." Dawn looked up at Paul with a blank expression on her face.

"Come help me make a weapon." Paul muttered bluntly. She simply stared at him with a slightly creeped out look on her face in response.

"We're going to need to kill something to eat. Unless you prefer starving to death." He explained with a cold, irritated tone.

"And why should I go with you?"

"Just come."

"Alone with you? No."

"Stop being so stubborn."

"Stop sounding so angry and miserable."

"If you don't come willingly, I'll have to force you." Dawn let out a defeated sigh before following him. Making weapons? Really? Violence wasn't really her thing, but she decided that she could at least help him gather supplies.

Leading her down the beach, Dawn followed him like a duckling would it's mother. Even when she pointed out a perfectly nice spot to search, he simply shook his head and continued walking. The sun seemed a lot hotter than it did before as it beat down on their backs. She was glad that she decided to leave her scarf behind at the camp.

Soon Paul finally stopped, sitting down on a large rock. He took two rocks, a maroon rock that was about the size of his hand, and a dark gray rock. The dark gray rock was almost perfect for making a small blade. It was thin, long, and the sides of it were jagged, but it had yet to be properly shaped. He was in luck.

For a couple minutes Dawn simply stood by and watched Paul slide the gray rock against the maroon rock. Each of the sides were beginning to slowly smoothen out, but it wasn't the most interesting thing in the world. Paul could obviously sense her boredom because he put his actions to a halt and looked up at her. With a sigh, he shoved the two rocks into the pockets of his black pants.

"Let's go explore or something.."

"Pardon me?"

"You're clearly bored and rules are we have to travel in pairs." He didn't even bother to wait for her, walking straight ahead into the woods. Dawn snapped out of her daze and scrambled to catch up with him. They walked through the woods with that unbearable silence that Dawn just couldn't bear. At least when she was with Lucas they were laughing and having all sorts of fun conversations.

"You...you just woke up, right?" Paul mumbled awkwardly, doing his best to strike up a conversation for her.

"Yes, how long was I out?"

"Not long."

"How long?"

"A day."

"That's not bad I guess..." The blue haired girl fiddled with her thumbs a bit. His head was looking straight forward and it was going to be difficult to get a good conversation out of him. Sighing, she continued to walk with him in silence. After about one hour of silent walking, she decided to try and break the silence herself.

"I noticed on the plane that you were giving Lucas the stink-eye. What was that about?"

She noticed that he tensed up a little. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to pester him about that for an answer. Especially since she didn't know what kind of history the two might of had. But what she didn't know was that neither Paul nor Lucas knew each other even existed until that day.

"Lucas? The weird kid with the scarf and oversized hat?" Paul almost spat his reply but luckily he managed to keep his emotions in check as usual.

"Hey, that's mean. He's not weird, he's really sweet and kind." Paul snorted when he heard her reply. He was beginning to annoy Dawn a little, but she decided not to say anything about that.

"But why were you looking at him like that?"

"'Doesn't matter."

"I'm just asking."

"Why do you care."

"Because."

"Lay off."

"No!" Dawn put her foot down. The violet haired boy turned around and gave her a bored look. She could only see the tiniest bit of confusion on his face as to why she stopped walking.

"I'm trying to have a conversation with you, but you're terrible at holding one! You're too pessimistic for me, let's just go back, I don't want to ' _explore'_ with _you_ anymore!"

"Well, if you want to talk with me than choose a better subject."

"Alright, than why didn't you know where you were flying to on the plane?"

"Choose again."

"Okay...What's your last name?"

"I find that personal."

"What?! You're hopeless." With her back turned to him, she stormed off in a random direction.

"Hey! If you do that you're going to get us lost!" His shout echoed through the forest as he hurried to catch up with her.

"I know what I'm doing, _Paul!_ "

"No you don't, you troublesome girl!" Paul sprinted faster until he caught ahold of her arm. She flailed around as if he were assaulting her, letting out short, ear-splitting shrieks of anger. Flinching, he held back the urge to cover her mouth. If he did that then it would seem like he was violating her or something like that. And that was the last thing Paul wanted to have to explain to Red. Tightening his grip, Paul moved his hands around her wrists.

"Let go of me!"

"Shut up!"

"Stop-"

Dawn was cut off by a loud rustling coming from the bushes. What sounded like a huff made both freeze like deer in headlights. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be glad to see them. They stood in silence, but that didn't stop Dawn from trying to break free a little. Although her attempts were useless as he was far stronger than her.

"There's something there." She whispered to him.

"Obviously." Paul snorted his reply. More rustling occurred and it seemed to be getting louder. Because of the trees, Paul couldn't get a good look at what the creature was. If they got eaten, he knew who to blame.

"This is all your fault." He hissed in her ear. Eyes squinting, he tried to identify whatever was in the bushes.

Just as Paul made eye-contact with it, the creature leaped at them, knocking them both off guard.

* * *

 **That wraps up this chapter!**

 **I really hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Ooh, cliffhanger, ehehe.**

 **What could this creature be?**

 **Will Drew and May find water?**

 **Who do you think will be the next to awaken?**

 **Please feel free to leave a review ^-^!**

 **Thanks!**

 **~Bear**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 c:**

 **Once again, I caught more typos, rushed scenes, and other junk in my last few chapters.**

 **But, not to worry, I'm _super_ confident now!**

 **Let me give this another shot.**

 **For PolarDawn, I really appreciate your critiques. I admit, day one was really just out there to get them all in one place again. And I'm sure Paul won't let anymore Lucas/Dawn action happen. But considering the fact that romantic gestures conflict with his personality, I have to take it real slow. Eeeh...It's killing me . Thanks again for your advice.**

 **Real special thanks to Cid Neha and AvatarMomo! I'm glad I have your support and seeing reviews like these makes me happy!**

 **Ah, and in response to JustinThePokemonMaster, I paired Dawn with her counterpart, Lucas. Lucas and Dawn are the two playable characters for the Sinnoh region. Ethan (Aka Gold, not to be confused with Jimmy), was the Johto male character in Pokemon Crystal and Heart Gold and Soul Silver. Just clearing things up c:**

 **Anyways, I'll try my best to update at least once a day until school starts. Thanks for your patience!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

Nope, I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 4:_

 _'Just as Paul made eye-contact with it, the creature leaped at them, knocking them both off guard.'_

A grunt escaped Paul's mouth as his fist shot out, nailing the beast in the face. Dawn was still in his grip, continuing to thrash about angrily. The beast let out a yelp before falling back onto the ground. Paul released Dawn, walking over towards what was now laying on the ground in front of him. Shadows from the trees above made it quite difficult to see. Nearing the creature, Paul froze, mouth slightly agape in shock.

"Paul, what is it?" She questioned, coming up behind him. Her eyes followed his, locking on the mysterious figure which was now beginning to stand. It looked at them with wild, crazed eyes. Soft hissing sounds were made from its mouth.

"That's not an _'it'."_ Paul murmured in response. Sunlight was just barely peeking through the leaves on the trees. Light shined down on what looked like a pale, almost white shoulder. You could just barely see the ratty, torn rusty brown shirt sticking out before it faded into the shadows again. Both were shocked when the figure stood up straighter, wobbling into the light.

"More like a _she_.." Dawn's eyes widened as a girl entered her vision. She had matted, untamed black hair which fell just below her knees. The azure haired girl stared into her bloodshot amber eyes. Honestly, Dawn would say that the feral girl would be rather attractive if her hair was brushed out a little and if her eyes didn't look so sleep-deprived. At the moment she could see nothing but insanity in her eyes, which gave Dawn a rather uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Do you think she's a survivor too?" Hesitantly, she broke the silence, speaking in a soft voice. Heavy breathing erupted in the direction of the savage looking girl.

"Most likely not. It's impossible for her to look like that after just one day." Paul's eyes narrowed as he pulled Dawn back a little. His fingers fumbled through his pockets for the knife he was working on earlier. Slowly, eyes trained on the feral female, he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Well than where do you think she came from?"

"'Don't know, don't care." His voice was low and slightly threatening. Noticing his weapon, she gave him a harsh glare.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Standing slightly on her tip-toes, Dawn stiffly growled into his ear.

"Shut up, just trust me." He growled before roughly shoved her away from him.

"You're going to kill her, aren't you?" A disapproving frown appeared on her face. However, all she got in return was a stone cold look from him.

Small shuffling sounds interrupted their angry little glare competition. The girl began to make a sound that reminded Dawn of a rabid dog snarling. Knowing Paul, she figured that if he did end up killing her, it would be extremely bloody and vicious. Yet another reason why Dawn did not like violence nor him. With another growling sound, the girl lunged at Paul, forcing him backwards onto the ground.

"Paul!" Dawn froze with shock, not knowing what to do. What could she do to help? Frantically, her eyes flickered around the nearby forest. She searched for something to use against the feral girl but found nothing. When Dawn looked back at the two, she found that the raven haired girl now towered over Paul.

He quickly shot upwards, scraping his small makeshift knife against her bruised, bloodied head. Warm drops of scarlet blood dropped down on his face, the girl now had a long scratch going across her cheek. A short ear-splitting shriek escaped from her mouth as she attempted to bite at his flesh. It was getting harder and harder for Paul to control the rampaging creature he called a girl.

Paul swung his arm out, trying to slice at her neck however he missed. Taking the chance, the girl swiftly shot forward, sinking her teeth into his lower left arm.

"Fuck!" He swore angrily, coal black eyes blazing before trying to stab her again. Hissing in response, she rammed her head into his, bashing him backwards. Crazed eyes peered down at him as Paul struggled to clear his mind again. His head was pounding and red blotches began to smother his vision.

"You cannibalistic piece of shit." She ripped his stone knife out of his hand and tossed it to the side as he cursed. He wasn't exactly sure if she could understand him, but he figured she at least could tell that he was furious. Digging her unusually long nails into his chest, she bared her disgustingly sharp teeth which seemed to have a yellow hue. Shutting his eyes, he simply waited, for his energy was already drained and he found no reason to fight anymore. After all, he would die on this island anyways, right?

An abrupt scream filled the air.

 _Thump._

Paul's chest suddenly felt heavy. With one eye open, he wordlessly inspected his surroundings. Lots of trees, sunlight, a bloodied rock, and...

"What the-" He muttered, hurriedly shoving a body off. When the girl smashed his head with hers earlier it blurred his vision. Eyes wide with terror, he grasped at the air. His fuzzy, obscure vision made it hard for him to tell who's body it was. That is, until he heard another piercing scream. Turning his head, Paul was startled at what appeared when his vision finally cleared up a bit.

"Fuck you!" It had been the first time since the cobalt haired girl had sworn the entire 'vacation'. Her yellow hair clips were beginning to fall off, giving her a slightly scruffy look as she thrashed about. Sitting up, Paul could only watch as she reached for his makeshift knife that lay on the ground near her.

"Fuck you! Screw you! Die!" Tears streaked down her face as her sense of reasoning melted away. Only one day had passed since the crash and yet she was already going insane. But Paul couldn't blame her, she did her best to stay friendly and cheerful even in this situation. On top of that she had yet to utter a single complaint aside from the one about his attitude. Now it was all coming back to her, maybe it was a bad idea to expose her to violence.

Dawn straddled the corpse of the feral girl. Again and again she stabbed at the body in a flurry of anger and rage. Blood was sprayed onto her face making her look mentally unstable. This side of her...It wasn't anything like the girl he had met on the plane.

Earlier she had broken the cranium of that girl with a rock, saving his life. Paul definitely didn't think she had a killer instinct at all. Usually he doesn't show emotion, but this sight coated him in a look of pure shock. Especially since the petite girl had shown extreme distaste in him when they were walking.

It seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion. Watching her on the brink of madness sinking that rock into that cadaver as if she thought it were still alive. Dropping the blood-stained knife, her hands fumbled around until she found the rock. With a deep breath, she smashed it onto the corpse's head one last time.

A pool of blood, brutally torn, smashed up body, and a wailing girl.

That was what his scowling face was met with as he stood up.

* * *

Sighing, Drew sprinted to catch up with May. That girl ran straight ahead of him, not even bothering to look back.

"Can't keep up, Mr. I'm better than everyone?" She taunted, pretty much frolicking through the woods. He noticed how graceful May really was as she practically danced around, easily moving around the roots of the trees. Just as he was about to open his mouth to comment on it, she tripped, stumbled, and fell flat on her face.

"Smooth moves, July." Drew snorted with a hair flip. He stood over her with his hands in his pockets, looking down on her.

"Smoother than yours." With a snort, she mumbled her reply into the ground before getting up.

"Whatever, at least I don't prance around like a forest pixie." He huffed, continuing forward. May's footsteps thundered as she ran and thrust her elbow into his back.

"Ow!"

"I'd say this forest pixie is pretty tough. After all, she took down a giant lumbering ogre." She grinned victoriously, jabbing a finger into his chest four times.

"Yeah? Well I wouldn't blame her. This 'giant lumbering ogre' sounds pretty damn handsome." Determined to keep his self-esteem brimming over the edge, Drew hair flipped before strutting ahead of her. It humored him when she fought back. May always said some of the funniest things he's ever heard. Although the faint, quiet sound of running water disrupted his thoughts.

"Really? I think you need to get your ears checked because that ogre had hideous grungy green hair and a very unappealing face. Oh, and he was almost always making stupid comments on the forest pixie." The brunette responded, slowly building up the confidence in her voice. Following after him, May had yet to notice the growing sound of water.

"Ah, then I don't think we're referring to the same one. The one I heard of was a gorgeous, beloved ogre prince who was amazingly talented and awesome for his kind." He coughed, leading her closer and closer to what he thought was a stream. There were less trees as they walked on. Nothing like the density of the woods and bushes that greeted them when they first set off.

"Such a creature doesn't exist." May broke out laughing. She continued to tail him like a duckling, not exactly having a clue as to where they were going.

"You're looking at it."

"An ogre?"

"Wh-what? No! It is I, Drew Hayden, the one and only!"

"Grass-headed arrogant bastard." Her laughter continued to fill and enlighten the shadowy forest.

"Rude, pushy, ugly elf."

"Rose-obsessed playboy."

Drew paused. Honestly, he couldn't think of anything that could top her insults. May noticed this and puffed her chest out with a smirk on her face.

"What's _this_? _The one and only_ Drew Hayden is out of ideas?" A dramatic gasp escaped her mouth as she covered it with a hand.

Suddenly, Drew picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"H-hey! Put me down you grass-headed bastard!" She began yelling and smacking her fists against his back. He continued walking along the stream which eventually led to an open lake. May continued to curse at him and beat at him.

"Here, why don't you check if it's safe for me to go in." The emerald green haired boy flipped his hair again and dropped her into the water much to her surprise.

"Screw you, now my clothes are all wet." May grumbled, wringing her red bandana out. Water that spilled around her ankles felt real nice, especially with the warm sun shining down on her. Wind that blew at her made her a bit chilly, but it had been awhile since she had felt anything that cold. She brought her hand up to touch the burned spot on her cheek.

"Maple, we should probably report back." Drew yawned, smoothing his hair with a little water.

"But we just got here." A childish pout crossed her face.

"Well, what do you even want to do? Red and Ash are waiting for us and Dawn or Paul probably need our help with something." Being a little bit of a killjoy to May's fun, he gave her a dull look. She gave him a pleading look on his face which was a little weird, considering the fact that May never begged him for anything.

"Just for a couple minutes."

"Hah! _The_ Drew Hayden gave in to a commoner?" May was cracking herself up, mimicking his hair flip again.

" _The_ May Maple pleaded to Drew Hayden like a child would a parent?" He shot back, smirking as her smile faltered slightly.

* * *

 **Eeeh, I'm sorry I made Dawn a little OCish**

 **I just wanted to emphasize how much people change when under pressure. It sort of bothers me when people portray her as the type of person who'd let Paul do everything for her. Something like that. However I guess I may have gone a little overboard...** **But hey, what would you do if you survived a plane crash, got stuck with a pessimistic dude, and saw a savage attack someone c:?**

 **And uh, I know I sort of slacked on May and Drew's section. But they needed a good source of water for the group. Although, it was then when I realized that no one is going to tread a mile through the woods to find water then tread back when they actually discover it. So I didn't know what to do and I wasn't about to do one of those little 'play in the water scenes' when they're all out, stranded on an island, haha**

 **In my opinion this chapter was a bit lame, especially on May and Drew's part. Not to worry, I'll be even more confident in my writing next time!**

 **So,**

 **How will Paul react to Dawn's breakdown?**

 **What the junk will May and Drew do?**

 **Please review, I appreciate feedback ^-^!**

 **Thanks again!**

 **~Bear**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5!**

 **Once again I found some more errors, sort of rushed parts near the end, and ugh. I'm just not doing well lately ^-^'**

 **Although at the moment I'm _totally_ fired up and ready to go! So I'm totally ready to try again!**

 **To JustinThePokemonMaster, thanks, I'm glad you thought it was good! You'll just have to keep reading!**

 **And PolarDawn, once more I'm really thankful for your help and advice on it! I'll look into coming up with more creative arguments between Drew and May. Anyways, thanks again c:**

 **Golden January. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to write a long response like that. Although it seemed slightly harsh to me, I completely see where you're coming from. It does seem unrealistic and I should've put more thought into writing the characters thoughts and feelings. And although a majority of them do not know each other personally, aside from May and Drew, I put them in pairs for the moment for a reason. It was hinted in the first chapter that Dawn is a bit more open and trusting than the others when she began conversing with Lucas. And I think we both know that as long as you don't get in his way, Paul couldn't care less. May and Drew are long time rivals, mentioned in the second chapter. If they had known eachother for a while they would at least know what they would and would not do. However I assure you that more doubt will rise. I'm sorry that it seemed too off topic and a bit of a disappointment. I'll try harder to make things better.**

 **Another thanks to anyone who has read this far. You rock.**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 _Chapter 5:_

 _'A pool of blood, a brutally torn, smashed up body, and a wailing girl. That was what his scowling face was met with as he stood up.'_

He didn't really know what to do now. Blood was being drained from his body through the deep bite wound on his arm. Paul's head ached and he felt really dizzy.

"Troublesome girl.." His vision swayed side to side. Stumbling, he made his way over to where she sat, bawling her eyes out. The footsteps he took ceased when he was at least six feet away from Dawn. What if she assaulted him next? Was she really safe to approach? Although it pained him to see and hear her, Paul just couldn't allow himself to go over and console her.

"I want to go home!" Dawn wailed, wet tears streaking down her face. Her fists pounded at the ground in rage.

"Chill out, it's only the second day! Have some patience!" Paul shouted, giving her a fierce glare. However, she paid no mind to him at all, beginning to talk to herself.

"I didn't mean to kill her. It wasn't my fault, right? No, it couldn't be helped. We need as many people alive as possible. And that definitely wasn't a person, at least not anymore, right? Totally not." Dry blood stuck to her face like glue. It was beginning to creep Paul out a little.

"We're going back." Paul ordered firmly, waiting for her to get up and lead the way back to the beach. After that little violent rampage Paul wasn't so sure he should let her follow behind. If he did then it would be like saying, ' _hey, why don't you shatter my skull to bits too?'_

"Going back where?" Her voice shook. Dawn looked up at him with dull eyes that showed no spirit. He was beginning to pity her but it could just be an act.

"To camp. Where else?" Cautiously, Paul stepped towards her a little. There were too many _what ifs_ and they needed to leave now. Clutching his bleeding arm, Paul tried to scare her into obeying him with a threatening glare.

"Don't look at me like that. Unlike you, I didn't try to kill her!" She growled, slowly getting to her feet.

"No, you definitely tried to kill that _thing_. And it's fine, so just get up and over yourself, we're going back right now." Paul snapped back as she began walking ahead.

"It was an instinct!"

"Yeah, I get it, so shut up and get a move on!" He fought back the urge to comfort her in any way. If he showed any compassion for her than she'll just think that it's okay to kill even if it's on an island. Actually, as long as she knew what she was doing, Paul didn't really mind. As long as she didn't try to kill any perfectly sane people it was fine...Probably. They walked in silence, nearing the beach where the light poured in. Paul relished in the warmth of the sun, brightening up slightly.

This seemed like a moment where he figured Dawn would run out into the open and lay down. Grateful for the light, Paul decided to try and talk to her again. Her face looked about as cold as his own, which he would've found unusual if the recent events had not happened. Even for a stranger, he was able to get a good grasp on how her personality really was.

"You know, it's okay.." He muttered, attracting the attention of her almost lifeless looking sapphire eyes. Dawn stared up at him, face red and tear stained with a blank look. Paul wasn't the best at sympathizing with people, especially those who he was uncertain about. Taking a short breath of air, he continued with the usual scowl on his face.

"That girl was insane. She would've eaten me or something if you hadn't done something." Trying to forget about what Dawn had done afterwards, he played it off as if nothing extra had ever happened. She suddenly stopped with a low grunt escaping her mouth.

"Have you ever killed someone?" Her question was a bit unexpected, but Paul decided to answer earnestly anyways.

"No, I haven't, why?" He mumbled his response.

"You just seem dangerously calm about this so I figured you've done it before." Dawn shook her head to clear her thoughts before moving ahead of him.

"Well I haven't, but if I were in your position I wouldn't have hesitated to kill her."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'd just rather bring a slightly insane girl back than a completely feral girl." Paul bluntly replied as Red and Ash came into sight. The two were roasting what looked like a fish over their fire. Were there no pokemon on the island? He shook his head, not wanting to worry about that.

"Lucas." As soon as the name escaped her mouth, Dawn took off, flying ahead of him towards the camp. She looked between Ash and Red for a split second. He watched as Red pointed to the right, causing Dawn to move off, heading in that direction. Another big frown found it's way to Paul's face. They just come back from fighting with a cannibalistic freak girl and the first thing she does is check on scarf boy? Unbelievable. Pathetic.

"Paul, did you find anything?" As soon as he noticed Paul, Red set a sharp, spear-like stick down beside him. Shaking his head in response, Paul sat down on a log which Red had set up around the fire. He decided that he should probably mention the random girl to him later in private.

"Whoa, what's up with your arm?!" Ash leaned in to inspect Paul's left arm. He made a small attempt to poke the bite mark, but Paul roughly shoved him away.

"Nothing important." Paul growled at him. "Where did you get that?" His eyes caught sight of the spear which Red had crafted.

"I just sharpened it on a piece of scrap metal I found lying around the plane. Oh, and I suppose I forgot to mention the move." The older man pointed back in the direction of the plane. Apparently, Ash and Red had decided to move the camp to an open area near the beach and farther away from the crash site. A giant oak tree, much like the one near the airliner, sat in what seemed like the center of the area. Which would explain the shorter walking distance when he and Dawn had returned.

"Did you remember to move the others?" He grumbled, eyes locked on the cooked fish. Ash looked at him before reaching over and ripping a chunk off of the makeshift rotisserie. With a big grin on his face, he offered some to Paul.

"Of course, they're near the oak."

"And has that hunk of metal stopped burning yet?" The lavender haired boy muttered a thanks to Ash before gratefully accepting the fish. Obviously he would have smelled smoke in the air if it hadn't but there was a smaller fire right in front of him and he didn't feel like checking. Red nodded before opening his mouth to speak.

"So would you like to explain why Dawn came back with a bloody face and you with an injured arm?" A skeptical look flashed across the older man's face as he interrogated Paul.

"We ran into some trouble...A cannibal to be specific." Swallowing the bit of fish, Paul looked up at both Ash and Red with a more serious look on his face.

"In the woods?"

"Yes.."

"Just one? Was it near the campsite?" Red's eyes furrowed together.

"It was pretty far away. I don't know if there are more, but It's not wise to go in there."

"What about May and Drew?" Ash looked at Red with a slightly worried look on his face.

"They'll be back soon." The man reassured him.

"Actually, those two are more likely to kill each other." Paul snorted, catching sight of Dawn in the corner of his eye. Suddenly, she disappeared, probably kneeling or something like that. Still concerned about her mentality, Paul couldn't help but be just a little suspicious.

"I'm going to make sure she doesn't do anything.." He added silently, standing up and cautiously walking towards the big oak tree.

"What was that?" Not catching what Paul had said, Red's gaze sharpened.

"Nothing." Muttering, Paul approached the open area with the oak tree.

* * *

"Hey, baboon?"

Drew shot May a questioning look before sighing and replying.

"Yes, blobfish?"

"What are we doing?" The brunette laughed before looking down at the ground. Her wet clothes were beginning to slowly dry as the wind blew. She sat down on the grass, fiddling with a pebble.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been here for what? A day and maybe a whole afternoon yet we haven't done anything."

Shocked with her honesty and sudden thought, Drew nervously flipped his hair. Not really knowing what to say, he stayed silent. May looked up at him, throwing the pebble at his head when he didn't say anything.

"Hey! What was that for?" He shot her another confused look.

"Answer me." She replied in a monotone voice. Her fingers reached for another pebble, waiting for a response.

"We found water didn't we? But I see where you're coming from, depending on someone amazing like me."

"I guess so, but now what are we doing? We could be building or making something useful, but all we're doing is sitting here." May flicked another pebble at him, hitting the side of his arm. An annoyed expression appeared on his face.

"And who's fault is that, lil' Red?" Drew snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Lil' Red? Where did that come from?" She glared at him slightly, getting up and brushing her shorts off.

"It doesn't matter. But anyways, you were the one who insisted that we stay here."

"Well, now I want to go back. Let's go, turkey-brain."

"Please, Maple, my IQ is most likely higher than yours."

"I honestly, don't give a crap." May began walking towards the edge of the woods but came to an abrupt stop. Turning back around, she quietly backed up to face Drew again.

"I forgot which way the beach was..."

* * *

 _It feels..._

 _Warm?_

My hands grasped at what I thought would be the armrest of the seat. But the only thing I was able to grab ahold of was something long. The feeling of whatever I grabbed was rough yet smooth. It seems I had grabbed clumps of it too.

Opening my eyes, I realized that it was grass. Which confused me because I had no idea where I was. The plane had gone down, I knew that. So does this mean...

 _I'm dead?_

I looked around for minute, taking in everything that I could see. Three others were on the ground in front of me. There was one who was on his side, apparently being _talked to_ by a girl with dark blue hair. Her face was bloodied and she sat beside the kid, rambling on about something. Although, I couldn't hear because she kept her voice pretty low.

 _Did these people die too?_

This seems _way_ too real for me. I had always thought that when I died it would mean I'd plunge into darkness or something. Maybe get reincarnated. But to wake up near a tree with sunlight shining down on me? Now that seemed a little too out of place. Unless... Is this supposed to be _my_ paradise? It's just like my childhood. Playing outside in the sun, climbing trees.

I'm seriously dead..

I had so much to live for too. So many things I was going to do. Everything's gone.

Tightening my grip on the grass, I tried to stand up. However, something was weighing me down. For a second I thought my legs were paralyzed that is, until I felt the unpleasant feeling of blood rushing to them. It made me shiver just a little bit. Since I was dead, I figured I wouldn't have those irritating feelings in my muscles anymore.

I leaned back against the tree and tried to get a good look at the strangers' faces.

Suddenly, I found myself staring. I recognized one of them to be-

* * *

 **There's chapter 5.**

 **I'm sorry if there ends up being a little too much romance and stuff. But hey, that's what category this fanfic is in.**

 **I really don't have much to say at the moment, but you might want to read just a little bit.**

 **May made a reference to Turkeys. About that, if you didn't already know, they're quite air-headed creatures.**

 **And when Drew called May a blobfish...I can't even describe it. Just look it up on google images, haha.**

 **Oh, and if you didn't understand what had happened with the camp. Ash and Red moved the camp further down the beach. The campfire is on the beach however if you look behind that, there's a grassy area which leads to a large oak tree. I don't know if I explained that properly, but I'm just giving you a good idea of what the area looked like.**

 **About any rushed scenes, I apologize if any of the scenes did seem like that. I'm still trying to fill things out a little, I don't know, personally, I think they go at a pretty nice pace.**

 **May and Drew's scene _was_ sort of meant to be fairly quick. I needed to get things going and everyone together.**

 **I swear, I'll do my best and this story _will_ get better. The only thing I can do is keep making corrections and working my way up from the dirt, right? **

**Anyways that pretty much wraps up my explanations and apologies.**

 **There really is no suspense at the moment. The only real questions are:**

 **Which survivor has regained consciousness?**

 **And**

 **Where did the mystery girl come from?**

 _ **Don't forget to Google: "Blobfish"**_

 **Feel free to drop by and review, it helps make the story better! ^_^**

 **Thanks!**

 **~Bear**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 is here.**

 **Yeey~!**

 **Haha, I'm sorry, I must've sounded so Paul-level pessimistic last chapter, yes?**  
 **Well, now I'm confident as usual!**

 **I'll be sort of absent for about a week. My family's going on yet another trip, so it'll be a little bit until I can update. Which is why I've decided to post this in the same day as chapter 5.**

 **Golden January, it's totally fine, I understand. Everyone has a rant they just need to get out of their system. And I'm certain that whatever you write will turn out nicely. I have hope, thanks for the apology ^-^**

 **Thanks to anyone viewing as a guest and others as registered users.**

 **Oh, and Paul's lack of attention to his bleeding arm was intentional. But thanks for the reminder, PolarDawn c:**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own pokemon ;~;

* * *

 _Chapter 6_

 _'Suddenly, I found myself staring. I recognized one of them to be-'_

That sleazy flirt-bag!

A disgusted look spread across Leaf's face. _So does this mean she had died in the arms of a pervert? Gross. Absolutely revolting._ Her nose picked up on the strong scent of smoke which was more unpleasant to her than the player who had called himself Gary.

"Hey, you."

Leaf jumped, startled when she heard the rough voice which called out to her. She slowly looked up, meeting the black, almost soulless eyes of a purple haired boy. His arm was gushing blood, causing her eyes to stray away from his.

"Aren't you going to do something about that?" It looked awfully painful. _How could he just stand by like that?_

"It doesn't matter." He shrugged, waving it as if to prove that he was fine.

"Yes, it does. You're going to bleed to-" The brunette cut herself off. _Right, both of them were dead, so what was the point?_ Following his eyes, Leaf realized that he had not been staring at her but the blue haired girl behind her.

"So.." Awkwardly, she fiddled with the zipper on her light green hoodie. "You died too, right?"

"...What?" The plum head gave her a very confused look. He had taken a moment to process what she had asked before reverting back to his original icy expression.

"I'm Leaf Green, I also died in the Kalos plane crash. I guess it is a bit late to be introducing myself to you now. But I think I remember you, you were the depressed looking kid, right?" Leaf laughed a little bit, trying to stand up now that the blood had rushed back into her legs. Stumbling just a little bit, she walked towards him, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket. Even if they were both dead, the fact that he just let the blood drip from his arm was creeping her out.

"Died? Depressed looking kid?" He scowled at her, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, we and those others died." She pressed her light brown and white handkerchief onto the bite-mark. Raising an eyebrow, she inspected it. _Where on earth would he have gotten a fresh bite mark?_ This was confusing her a little, but she decided to brush it off for now.

"Look, you're not dead. I think you're just a little bit confused." The boy was obviously trying to hold back an amused laugh of some sort. Which irked Leaf just a little bit.

"No, I think _you're_ the one who's confused. This is the afterlife." Leaf laughed, standing up a bit straighter. There was a brief moment of silence between the two of them. Her sharp, green eyes flickered around the area to see that the blue haired girl was now laying with her head resting on the other boy's shoulder. Looking again she realized that just behind the purple haired kid, there was a campfire with two almost identically dressed people sitting around it.

"This is not the afterlife. You are alive." Finally, he spoke up, catching Leaf's attention and directing it back at him.

"Prove it."

"Dawn. Come here." He ordered, receiving a glare from the girl with midnight blue hair.

"Why?" The one he called Dawn questioned with a yawn. She moved even closer the other boy, irritating the one with the odd hair.

"This girl apparently needs proof that she's alive. So let her feel your pulse or something." Grumbling, he pressed the handkerchief a bit more onto his wound.

"You do it. I'm busy."

"I am _not_ letting a complete stranger touch me. And you are not _busy_."

"Paul, lay off. I just killed someone and I'm not in the mood to argue with you."

Leaf looked between the two, much more clueless than before. However it was starting to scare her a little when she remembered how Dawn had blood smeared across her face. Putting two and two together, Leaf clearly had the wrong idea.

"Killed someone? Did you...?"

"You're mistaken. Everyone here, including you is alive. We just ran into some trouble earlier and things got violent." The one called Paul explained as quickly as possible. Though his dull, bored tone still stuck to his voice.

"If we aren't dead, than show me where the plane is and let me feel your pulse." Leaf stared intensely at both Paul and Dawn. With a sigh, Paul spoke up again.

"It's just down the beach, if you walk out to the campfire you should be able to just barely see it."

"Thanks, I guess." She turned and cautiously stepped out to where a boy and a man were sitting.

"Hi there, I'm Red and-"

"I'm Ash Ketchum!" The raven haired boy cut the older man off, looking at her with gleaming brown eyes.

"H-hello." Leaf was a bit startled at the friendly greeting she had received. "Leaf Green, pleasure to meet you."

"Glad to have you." Red leaned over to rotate a half eaten fish which was roasting above the fire.

"Yeah.." Slowly, she began to slip away without any conversing. Making her way down the beach, she suddenly stopped when her eyes locked on the plane. Although it wasn't blazing, the aircraft was still on fire, heat engulfed her face as Leaf stepped closer. She had survived _that?_ Shards of glass and bits of metal were almost filling the ground in front of her. The horrible stench of burnt corpses entered her nose.

Leaf staggered backwards a bit, horrified. Was this real? No. Maybe she was dead and her brain was just imagining the scenario. The only thing left to do was check for a pulse on one of the survivors. Even if she could feel her own, it might just be her mind trying to trick her. Turning around, she ran back towards the campfire and back to the oak tree.

Her wild footsteps surprised Paul and Dawn. Dawn lifted her head drowsily from Lucas' shoulder and although Paul looked hardly phased, there were hints of confusion evident on his face. Rushing over to Dawn, Leaf pushed two of her fingers roughly into the side of her neck. In response, the blue haired girl let out a yelp and a sharp cry of pain as Leaf pressed even harder onto her neck.

No one said a word. Leaf retracted her fingers from Dawn's neck. She had definitely felt a pulse but this wasn't enough to satisfy her. Nearing Paul, she almost jumped on him, grabbing his wounded left arm. He let out a low grunt of pain as his wound began bleeding again. Pressing the already stained handkerchief against his lower arm again, Leaf muttered an apology.

Paul tried to rip his arm away from her, but Leaf hadn't finished yet. She took his wrist and slapped her finger onto the inner part of it. His heart was beating slowly even if he was taken off guard.

"No...This can't be real!" The usually quiet yet energetic brunette screamed.

"Chill out." Paul growled at her, rubbing his wrist. Ash and Red had turned their heads to see what the commotion was and Dawn sat up, staring at her.

"No! How long have we been here? Isn't anyone going to save us? What if we run out of food?! We're screwed, damn it!" Her eyes flickered over to where Misty and Gary were.

"And what about them? Are they even alive?!"

Red stood up and began walking toward them with a very serious look on his face. He gently took Leaf by the wrist and started dragging her over to the edge where the sea met the beach.

"Let me go! What are you going to do with me?!" Leaf shouted, struggling to get away from the man. However he had his grip, hauling her over. Red kept on walking until both were ankle-deep in the water.

"What the hell are you-" Taking a handful of water from the sea, Red cut her off, splashing it in her face. Leaf hobbled backwards a bit before falling backwards onto the sand. Although she was frustrated and afraid, the cold water was surprisingly soothing. She felt her worries and _what ifs_ melt away for the time being. The sound of the ocean was like a lullaby.

"Are you calm now?" Red's gentle voice entered her ears. He was kneeling down next to her like a father would a daughter. Paul, Ash, and Dawn were standing behind him and around her. They were looking at her with bright expressions on their faces. Although Paul's face was an exception, it was blank and she couldn't read it.

Leaf blinked back the tears of rage which were in her eyes before Red had splashed her. Giving them a big smile, she stood up, brushing the sand on her shorts off. This man really was the leader.

"Yes!"

* * *

"Weed-head, look!"

May kicked Drew in the shins before pointing upwards.

"Ow! What the hell, Maple, If you wanted my attention that bad you could've just asked!" He brought his leg up to his stomach, almost whimpering in pain.

"Just look!" Drew followed her finger until his eyes caught sight of a tree.

"Yeah, what an amazing tree, June."

"I was talking about those." She snorted and smacked the back of his head. Taking a closer look, Drew noticed that on the lush, green tree there were several green almost pod-like balls hanging.

"What do you think are in them?" Drew inquired, taking extreme interest in whatever they were.

"There's nothing in them. Are you stupid, leaf-brain? Those are mangos." May moved her finger a bit more to the left. About five or six reddish yellow mangos were high up in the tree. Even so, they were unbelievably eye-catching.

"Mangos, huh?" Licking his lips, he circled around the tree, looking for an easy way to get up.

"Hey, psychotic gorilla girl." She shot Drew an angry glare, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yes, Mr. Asshole?"

"I bet I can get those mangos faster than you can."

"You're on." Quickly, she took her damp red bandana out of her pocket and tied it around her head. They started on different sides of the tree, completely motivated by hunger.

"Go." Drew reached up, grabbing onto a branch low to the ground and hoisting himself up. He hastily looked around for any other ripe mangos, however all of them on the lower area were about as green as his hair. It was then when he realized that he had wasted a valuable three minutes when he looked up to see May climbing ahead to the top.

The mangos at the top were probably riper than the ones on the bottom. Deciding that there was no point in trying to find one near the middle area, Drew moved upwards to catch up. Both were busy sliding in and out the branches that poked out at them. On the outside the tree looked short and stubby, but near the top, it was actually quite tall for a mango tree.

Branches and twigs closer to the top which sheltered their targets were extremely fragile. Drew almost lost his footing and fell, but he grabbed onto another branch at the last second. May wasn't far ahead of him now as he climbed a bit faster. That girl usually rushed through things as fast and as careless as possible. Anything as long as it meant she would emerge the victor.

Just as she was about to reach for the first mango, he heard a loud creaking sound followed by a crack. His eyes widened as the branch which was supporting her right foot gave out. Before he knew it, she was falling out of the tree, just barely missing the limbs. Her scream was almost deafening. Instinctively, his hand shot out, reaching for hers.

"May!"

* * *

 **So chapter 6 has come to an end!**

 **This chapter was really all about Leaf and Red, but other unanswered questions will be answered.**

 **Like I said, I'm going to be gone for the next week or so, but I hope you'll stay patient with me!**

 **Will Drew be able to help May?**

 **And what will happen next back at camp?**

 **What will they do next?**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Thanks!**

 **~Bear**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7!**

 **Has made it's entrance!**

 **So with school I have some difficulties concentrating and junk. So even if I have my whole schedule and after school plans figured out, it still stresses me out during class. But I guess everyone has days like that.**

 **Anyways, I'm even more confident than before! (If that's possible) I'm giving this chapter my best shot, as usual!**

 **Enough about me.**

 **Thank you, PolarDawn for yet another review and critique!**

 **And thanks to any of my readers and/or reviewers! Especially my "Loyalist Reader". Haha!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon ;-;

* * *

 _Chapter 7:_

 _'May!'_

His hand missed. He missed.

With a loud thump, May landed. An audible crack sounded out through the woods. Her shrieks of terror had turned into moans of pain. Drew could sense a bit of anger and frustration in her voice, making him cringe. Quickly, he made his way down the tree to help her out. His hands fumbled through branches as he rushed through to get to the ground. Another thud as his feet slammed upon contact with the earth.

"What's wrong?!" Drew reached to tap her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." She hissed at him, slowly moving to sit up as he approached her. His eyes flickered to where she clutched her right arm. It was bruised, swollen, and most likely fractured. But no matter how much it grossed him out, Drew was definitely not coldhearted. Obviously it had absorbed most of the impact when she fell.

"Maple, here." He kneeled down to inspect it.

"Look, I'm perfectly fin-" As May shakily moved to stand up, she was cut off. Legs shaking violently, her knees bucked causing her to fall back against a nearby tree. The force of it added pressure onto her arm, shifting it out of place again. Letting out a sharp cry of pain, she writhed in agony, holding it tighter against her body with her left arm.

Drew's eye twitched a little bit as more of the purple-gray flesh was exposed to his eyes. Her wails and moans were beginning to get to him. It must be extremely painful for her to just lay like that. However she was probably lucky that she hadn't broken her hip or femur. Letting out a sigh, he stood up again, reaching for her left arm.

"Come on, let's head back to camp."

"No."

"August, we need to get your arm fixed now." Gently tugging at her arm, he frowned slightly.

"Get the mangos."

"Are you serious? You've just broken your arm and your first priority is fruit?!" Pulling her to her feet, Drew stared with visible worry in his eyes.

"Just get them."

"No, we seriously need to leave now."

"I said _get them_!"

"Why do you even want them?"

"I'm hungry, damn it!"

"Okay, you know what-" With another rough and irritated sigh, he looked around. Catching sight of a large stick, he bent over and picked it up. It was a pitted dark wood stick which looked about three feet long. Dragging in back forward, just in front of the mango tree, Drew stabbed it into the ground. Twisting deep into the tough soil which surrounded them.

"There. Now it'll be a marker and we can come back for it later. I'm sure the others have food by now. I mean, Red's there with them and he seems experienced." His foot impatiently tapped against the ground.

Grunting, May gave a defeated sigh, pushing herself upwards until she could stand properly. Her arm felt as if a million shards of glass were jabbing into it while someone was pouring salt on top. When she looked up, Drew had already begun walking. The sunlight which seeped in through the leaves of the trees seemed to be disappearing as it was nearing the evening.

Following after him, the two walked in silence as he led her in the direction of the beach. The more they walked, the more wary May became of the chartreuse haired boy. Even if she'd known her rival for sometime now, he was still about as unpredictable as she was. She shivered, just imagining what she would do if he suddenly decided to take the chance and kill her.

Drew, noticing how she was spacing out decided to break the silence. Things would only get more awkward for them both and it would be a couple minutes until they met up with the others again. Although holding a conversation with May without it breaking into an argument was going to be very difficult. Brushing away that thought, he figured he would just go with the flow.

"Hey, Gorilla Girl, you thinking about how much you miss your mommy?" Almost immediately, May's gaze turned into an icy glare. Snapping her head up to look at him, Drew swore she bared her teeth at him. However, it may have been a hiss of pain, as she had accidentally shifted her arm out of place once more. Alright, he had to admit, what he had said was pretty mean and uncalled for. But, being Drew, he had absolutely no idea how to talk to her.

"And are you thinking about how much you miss your hair gel and beauty sleep?" Readjusting her arm, the brunette kept her frozen glare trained on him.

"Whoa!" Giving her a slightly offended look, Drew dramatically turned back around and continued walking. "Of course not, _this_ is natural." Flipping his hair, he stood up straighter, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed form.

"Naturally stupid." May snorted, heading straight ahead where even more bright light sparkled and glowed through the trees. Surprisingly, she had decided to keep the conversation short and sweet. The beach was just ahead and she was glad to be back where she could hear and see the ocean and it's waves. At the moment, May wanted more than anything to rid herself of the pain which was eating away at her arm. She couldn't appreciate the simplest things without it interrupting her.

Rushing ahead of Drew, she took the first step into the light. Her red bandana seemed to be glowing, almost as if it were brightening the mood. In fact, it seemed as if the tension was already melting away by the second. Although, when he stepped out he nearly had a panic attack. The camp was not where it was when they had left.

"Weed-for-brains."

He turned his head to see May pointing down the beach to where a campfire was. There sat Ash, Paul, Red, and two other girls who he recognized from the plane. They must have moved it after he and May had gone out looking for water.

"Drew!" Ash waved to him, as if he were calling him over. However his movement was so wild and rowdy that Drew couldn't really tell.

"Ah, I see, come here, please." Drew whipped around. May had just finished explaining her situation to Paul and Red. She followed Red over to where two girls were sitting. He had completely forgotten to ask their names so instead of striking up a conversation with them, he sat down quietly next to Paul.

"Hey~! It's the angry plum!" Flashing him a smile, Drew smacked him on the back as if they were childhood friends.

"Never call me that again." Paul snapped, shoving his arm off.

"Chill out!" He laughed as his eyes flickered around to take in more of his surroundings. Red was preparing a makeshift splint for May's right arm. He noticed how the older man took her bandana and tied several flat, thick sticks around it. Although it wasn't as good as a cast would be, it would make do for now. She flinched several times before relaxing her shoulders after the splint was finished up. The chartreuse haired boy found himself watching for several minutes until something else interrupted him.

"Hello, there!" That blue haired girl stared at him with welcoming warm eyes. They were just like Ash's only her's were a beautiful sapphire blue. And Drew knew beauty when he saw it. It was a 'skill' he was quite proud of. He could hear a breath hitch from beside him, he was staring at the fire in silence. _Had something happened between the two?_

"Yo." Drew smiled back in response, flipping his hair. Paul tensed from beside him.

"My name's Dawn!" She gave the girl with the long brown hair a soft nudge. In alarm, the other girl began to flail her arms in a flurry, face flushed a light pink because of her embarrassment.

"Y-yes!?"

 _Was everyone spacing out today?_

Ash flopped down on the log across from him and Paul. He reached over the fire and pulled out a fairly large chunk of fish. Drew felt a bit dumb, for he spent all that time observing his surroundings and didn't notice it. About a quarter of it was ripped off and passed around.

"Drew. _The_ Drew Hayden." He turned his attention back to the two girls.

"Leaf.."

"Leaf? What do you mean, leaf?" A confused expression crossed his face as he took his share of fish from Paul.

"My name."

"Name? What kind of name is that-ouch!"

Dawn had leaned over and punched him in the shoulder. This girl wasn't as sweet as he thought she was. Drew could just barely hear a muffled chuckle coming from what he thought was Paul.

"Be nice." She scolded, patting Leaf's head as if she were a cat. He stared at the two blankly, it seemed as if Leaf actually enjoyed that. Beside him, Paul was laughing silently even more like a kid who had just gotten his friend in trouble. Even in moments like this, it was like they were just camping or something. It was unbelievable yet strangely soothing and relaxing. Although he knew that it wasn't long before anyone went insane or things got even more serious.

"I don't understand girls." Crossing his arms, he began to shake his head.

"Really? But you look so much like one." Paul roughly grabbed a lock of his hair. However, his tone was very dull and bored so Drew couldn't tell whether he was joking around or not.

"Hey, my hair is shorter than yours." Drew snorted, smacking his hand away and running his hands through his hair. He smoothed it back before giving another flip.

"All done and better." Red's voice sounded out abruptly. The five turned to look just as May took her seat on the fourth log, which was the furthest away from the others. Most of the group were staring at her splint, but obviously no one felt like asking why. It didn't look like May would answer them even if they tried asking.

"Apparently Drew and May", He pointed to both of them before continuing, "Have found a lake nearby. Along with a mango tree which they marked for us." Red announced, smiling.

"We'll move camp once the others wake up."

"You mean _if_ they wake up." Paul grumbled. Dawn frowned at him, her warm eyes turned into serious, stone cold glares. Which were even colder looking than Paul's face twenty-four seven.

"They _will_ wake up." She growled at him.

"You're just saying that because your boyfriend is still unconscious. In reality we don't know if they will." The violet haired teen bluntly replied, pressing a blood-stained handkerchief onto his arm. _Was he nervous? No. Paul doesn't seem like the type to worry over anything nor anyone._

"Lucas is not my boyfriend." Dawn's eyes narrowed. Drew wasn't so sure what was going on, but it seemed like those two had some history. Although it was hard to believe anything drastic had happened as she and Paul obviously didn't know each other two days ago. He exchanged confused looks with May and watched as Ash silently scarfed down more fish.

"Now, now, personal love-related topics can be discussed later. For now, we need to decide what our next move is." Red brushed the dust off of his hat before placing it back on his head. Paul reached for a long wooden spear that Red had made him. Leaf was the first one to notice, smile fading as she realized what he was getting all anxious over.

The bushes which led to the giant oak tree shook, drawing the attention of all seven of them.

"Hello there!"

* * *

 **It feels like forever since I updated, although it wasn't very long, haha.**

 **This chapter took a longer time to write than my others. Although maybe it was because of school that I couldn't finish it right away.**

 **Not to worry, I'll get started on another chapter soon!**

 **I guess this chapter was a bit dull and boring. Not as interesting as other chapters and sort of complicated to write because I had to remember May's broken arm as they walked. It will get better and more action will pop up, rest assured. So yeah, this chapter was more of a breather. Making sure everyone meets, making new appearances, not exactly much survival involved for now.**

 **As for the wild girl, let's put her on hold for now.**

 **Paul's relationship with Dawn seems rough now, but it's going to be awhile until improvement is made. However I bet a certain event I have planned for later chapters will irritate any Ikarishippers out there. It's just getting started though, you know?**

 **Leaf. I originally wanted to portray Leaf as a bubbly, happy, optimistic girl. However since Dawn is... Well, was.. Pretty much that, I decided to put her as a quiet, cute, more reserved female. As you already know that Misty and May are pretty much twin tempers. So, I decided to even it all out.**

 **Any other characters. Alright, so from time to time they will act a little bitchy here and there. Just a small warning, because I'm still making plans.**

 **Anyways!**

 **Who just appeared? Anyone want to take a guess?**

 **Well, feel free to review!**

 **Thanks!**

 **~Bear**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8~!**

 **Confident, confident!**  
 **Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs ^-^!**

 **Bleh...I just got contacts and my eyes hurt if I stare at the screen for too long.**

 **It's finally the weekend and that means a new update!**

 **So, let's get started!**

* * *

 _Chapter 8:_

 _'Hello there!'_

Seven pairs of eyes flickered over to the bushes where a boy was standing.

Oh. It was _that_ kid.

Paul's eye twitched in irritation upon hearing his young, fresh sounding voice. The smile on his face was even more disgusting, bright and cheerful. Although Ash also had a smile like that, something about his just annoyed him to the point where he wanted to push him off a cliff. His slightly seared scarf and hat were what made him even more eye-catching. Honestly, what boy wears a scarf and hat at _this_ time of year?

"Lucas!"

A certain girl shot up from her seat next to Leaf. In a flurry of blue, she rushed over and nearly jumped on him. She was now holding him close and tight like a child would a teddy bear. This was even more irksome than when Reggie tried to give him a goodnight kiss... As the days passed by, hour after hour, Paul found himself missing his ' _mother_ ' figure.

"Easy, easy." Lucas' voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, Paul grunted quietly as he put his arm around her. Were they really _that_ close?

"Anyways...I'm Lucas, if you didn't know already!" Most of the others were giving him a friendly smile. Except for Leaf, who was eating a fish, and May, who was inspecting her fractured arm. Paul, of course, was not smiling either, giving him another one of his famous icy glares.

"Welcome! We'll cut introductions short so we can fill you in on what has happened." Red adjusted his hat again, brimming with pride to have organized everything.

"Ah, that would be helpful. I mean, this is sort of confusing. But, once I saw Dawn with you guys, I decided it must be alright to join you. 'Cause Dawn's so innocent and stuff, I have to protect her from the strangers, you know? " His explanation for his trust and integrity was revolting. Paul saw a look of guilt flash across Dawn's face, she must've been thinking about her mental breakdown. _Innocence_? Well any of that is _long_ gone now.

"Incredibly handsome strangers." Drew added. Paul completely forgot about him until he said something. Lucas laughed and began hugging Dawn back.

"I'm Red." He turned and pointed with his finger. "There's May. Ash. Leaf. You know Dawn. Drew. And Paul." May paid no mind to Lucas whatsoever, Ash grinned and waved wildly, and Leaf glanced upwards before continuing a conversation with Drew. Red sighed as Lucas was removed from the spotlight almost immediately.

"Don't mind them. Just the typical teenagers..heh." The older man laughed awkwardly as he just remembered that Lucas was the same age as them.

"It's alright, but I'd really appreciate it if you could explain everything to me." Lucas was exchanging what Paul thought were romantic looks with Dawn before looking back up at Red. Paul felt sick to his stomach.

"I'm going to do something _productive_." Abruptly standing up, the plum head nodded at Red before picking up a wood spear and heading off.

"Wait, man, I want to come!" Drew quickly stood up and walked after him. Although, Paul simply said nothing and continued to start down the beach. Everything was fine until _he_ regained consciousness. This was making Paul's blood boil a little. Especially the physical contact. An eight hour flight and suddenly they act as if they're dating? Nobody should be able to fall in love just like that. It'd be too shallow.

"Where are we going!?" A certain green haired teen slammed his fist down on his back yet again.

"God Damn it, I thought I told you not to do that anymore!" Paul snapped roughly, tightening his grip around the spear.

"Whoa, what's got your panties in a twist?" He snickered, eying the weapon carefully. "Where'd you get that and where can I get one?"

"It's for self-defense and hunting only. Red's rules, ask him about it." His eyes flickered around, analyzing their surroundings. Eventually it would get colder and everyone will get tired of fish. There must be something useful on this island. Paul paused for a moment, shivering as the girl came to mind.

"Is that so? Well, what are we going to hunt?" Drew followed after as he steered towards the woods. This kid was definitely getting on Paul's nerves now.

"'Dunno. Maybe I'll see if there's a rabbit or something here.." Paul quietly leaned over and inspected a bush.

"A rabbit? So like a buneary? We're going to eat a pokemon?!" An expression that showed have disgust and half fear crossed his face. He continued helping him look before stopping. In front of Drew was a small indent in the ground. Leaning closer, he realized that it was a footprint made by some sort of creature.

"Hey, Paul, look at this thingy."

"What is it this time?" He grumbled, almost trudging over to where Drew was crouching. "Did you take a wazz here or something?" The scents around the area were foul and disgusting. Eye twitching, Paul sighed and kneeled next to him to get a better view.

"Wha-no! Of course not, do I look like that type of person?"

"Yes."

"Jerk." Drew shook his head and pushed himself back on topic, "Anyways, check out this footprint!" His finger lightly traced the dirt around it. Peering at it, the other boy noticed several more, leading through the trees. The footprints were almost round and looked as if they would fade away at any time.

"Follow." Paul ordered bluntly, getting up and moving ahead after the prints. Wordlessly, Drew trailed after him with a slightly excited look on his face. Turning around, the plum head noticed this.

"What are you getting all thrilled for?" With cold eyes, he stopped, glaring sharply at him. The chartreuse haired boy pulled back nervously, smile fading. Paul's eyes were sort of scary, his eye lids were relaxed, blocking out any reflection of the light. In fact, they almost looked clouded and dead.

"Eh? I'm just curious as to what it is, you know?" Laughing awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. Simply snorting, Paul continued on ahead, hands clenching the spear tighter as the footprints went deeper into the woods.

"Dude...Something's wrong here." Paul stopped and turned around to face Drew. He was crouching next to a couple of footprints. Walking over, he took a closer look at them. They were definitely footprints...However, they were sloppy and rapid. The prints looked like streaks through the earth.

"Something must've been chasing it."

"But then, where's the blood or other footprints?" Drew inquired, looking around slowly. Squinting, Paul searched for any other helpful clues or signs.

"The only thing we should do is follow it." He replied silently.

"But what if we encounter whatever was chasing it?"

"We don't know if something was chasing it."

"And if something was?!" Drew returned Paul's glare with a serious one.

"Then we kill it." He grumbled dully as if it the solution to their problem were obvious. Paul grabbed a stick which was laying on the ground nearby. It was thick and about the length of his arm. "Use this."

Taking the stick from his hand, Drew skeptically looked at him before sighing. Giving in, he stood up and walked ahead past him and towards the darker part of the woods. Soon enough, Paul had caught up with him. The woods around them were getting shadier and the scratchy looking footprints from earlier weren't helping to reassure them. Reaching into his pocket, the violet haired boy pulled out his makeshift knife. Although, now it was complete with long, sharp, rigid sides.

"Whoa, did you make that?" Paul nodded in response. Both of them stayed silent and cautious as they approached what they thought was the end. The footprints had led them to a dark open area.

"What the.." Drew's eyes knitted together in confusion.

"I don't know.." Paul looked down to see that the footprints had disappeared. Everything was still almost pitch black.

"What time is it?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"It should be morning by now, right?"

"I don't know." He rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't think we should stick around here much longer, man." Drew began to back up a little. This place was a bit too creepy for him, especially with the pessimistic boy standing in front of him.

"Wait a second.." Paul's eyes were beginning to adjust just a bit more to the lighting.

"Come on, let's just leave." He argued as Paul began to creep ahead of where the footprints disappeared. "That's not a good idea."

"Shut up, will you?"

A couple minutes passed in silence as Paul continued his cautious approach. Drew stood there, glancing around as if he were expecting something to come out and eat him. More time, he took a step forward as Paul had fallen out of sight.

"What..." He heard the other boy mutter.

"Paul, did you find anything?"

Suddenly, the purple haired teen flew backwards and onto the ground in front of him. He stared down at him, he hadn't seen much emotion on his face since they 'arrived'. It was a look of pure shock and horror.

"Holy shit."

* * *

"Eh? Why not?"

Dawn whimpered slightly, clinging to Lucas' arm. The two sat next to each other on one of the logs around the fire.

"Because it's about one in the morning." He murmured softly, staring at the ocean in front of them. Across from them sat Red, who was currently sharpening a long stick into a spear.

"You two are cute together. But, Lucas, how about you go check on the ginger and the other boy?" His voice interrupted the two's affectionate exchanges.

"Ah, alright." Lucas nodded, pulling his arm away from Dawn and getting up. Dawn began to follow after him however Red quickly stopped her.

"Dawn, why don't you go get some rest?" A light smile was shone on his face. The girl hesitated before sighing and walking over to where Leaf, Ash, and May were. Which was around the large oak, but a bit closer to where the campfire and beach were. When she arrived she noticed how Ash slept defenselessly sprawled out, limbs in all different directions. He was snoring quite loudly. She laughed quietly to herself before sitting down next to May.

"He's going to end up waking the other two unconscious survivors." Dawn turned her head, locking eyes with May.

"You're still awake?"

"Well, what about you?" May gave a light chuckle before repositioning her arm.

"I couldn't sleep so I went out and joined Lucas and Red." She replied, staring at the splint. "How did you break your arm?"

"I fell out of a tree." The brunette laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Lucas and Red? What about the other two?"

Her thoughts immediately flashed to Paul. That thoughtless, cold-hearted jerk. Shaking her head, Dawn smiled, ridding herself of thoughts about him.

"They're probably off screwing around in the woods."

"That sounds like Drew." May sighed, running her fingers over the bandana tied around the splint. "And Leaf was out before I even got here." She added.

"She fell asleep that quickly?" Dawn turned her head to see the other brunette curled up almost in a ball beside her. Her face was peaceful and relaxed, so innocent looking. Leaf reminded her of either a small child or a cat.

"It's been a _very_ long day." Looking up at the dark sky, May laid on her back. "After this, I suppose it'll be three days since we got here."

"Has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday we were flying to Kalos." The azure haired girl's eyebrows furrowed together in frustration.

"Well, apparently only Red, Ash, and Paul were the first ones up and going after the crash."

"Paul? Ash? How were those two up almost immediately?" She frowned a bit.

"I don't know... Say, did something happen between you and Paul?" May questioned, staring blankly into the shadows of the sky.

"No, nothing. I just.. Don't like him." Dawn lied. She didn't really want to admit that she had murdered someone in the heat of the moment. Although Paul himself said that the girl wasn't counted as a real person, Dawn couldn't help but feel some sort of regret and guilt.

"Ah, I see."

Finally laying down, Dawn began to think just a little bit more. The two lay there in complete silence, aside from Leaf's soft breathing and Ash's loud snoring. Suddenly, May burst into abrupt laughter.

"What's so funny?" A very confused expression crossed over Dawn's face.

"It's just, we're pretty much stuck here with strangers and yet everyone is just casually sitting around. In fact, I haven't done anything to help the team in anyway. I also feel pretty pathetic too, missing my family. Even my little brother." She smiled stupidly, up above, the stars were beginning to disappear as the light of day broke through the darkness. Her hand reached up and out towards a bright star as if she were trying to grasp onto it.

"Yeah... I miss my mother and pokemon too. It's a normal feeling." Dawn began to laugh a little bit with her.

"Hey."

"Hm?" She turned to look at May again.

"Do you think help will come?" Sighing, Dawn took a deep breath.

"I honestly don't know."

"Oh, and Dawn?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think everyone thinks we're dead?"

The soft smile she had on her face vanished. Frowning, Dawn closed her eyes and exhaled. May turned her head to look at her, obviously expecting some sort of response.

"They'll send help and search for us soon. I'm sure they can pinpoint the plane's location somehow." She decided to try and lighten the mood by staying positive.

"That sounds nice." May smiled before closing her eyes.

"May?"

No response.

"May?"

The sound of soft, steady breathing erupted from where May was. It joined Leaf and Ash's sounds which filled the air. Dawn couldn't help but think that it was almost like a instrumental song. Although, Ash's snoring was beginning to irritate her a little bit. Forgetting about Lucas, Red, and everyone else, she slipped off into sleep.

"Goodnight, everyone."

* * *

 **HUAHAU I just realized how short my chapters are compared to other fanfictions -,-**

 **But I guess this is what keeps you guys reading, right? Haha.**

 **So May and Dawn's scene was to inspire hope c:**

 **Oh and I guess I should ask for a prediction or two.**

 **What did Paul discover?**

 **What left the footprints?**

 **It's a mystery, yes?**

 **Anyways!**

 **Remember, feel free to leave a review! Help make this story better or something, I honestly don't care!  
**

 **!~**

 **Thanks~  
~**

 **Bear**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 is here!**

 **Yep, school has kept me pretty occupied, but I just couldn't help but want to write this.**

 **I sort of ran out of good anime to watch, haha. I'm still waiting on some of the 2015 anime to air.**

 **Any suggestions?**

 **So, again, thank you for reading and supporting my story. Especially if you've been cycling school, reading, homework, etc!**

 **Thanks, thanks!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

Yo, I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 9:_

 _'Holy shit_.'

Eyes wide, Paul sat there, petrified. Although, Drew noticed that he did not quiver or shake even in the slightest. This guy was pretty tough.

"What is it?" He nudged Paul gently with the blunt end of his stick. The violet haired boy said nothing in response, simply pointing to his nose. What? This was too confusing even for Drew to comprehend.

However it was then when it hit him. Blood.

His nose twitched just a little as a foul, metallic scent filled his nose. It was as if a pile of rotten flesh were sitting right in front of him. Clutching the stick close to his body, Drew made his way forward.

"Stop." Paul warned, slightly coming to his senses. He mentally smacked himself. Times like these were always things that frustrated him the most. Just like when he and Dawn had encountered the girl, he had frozen up for a good minute or so. A minute that could have cost him his life if Dawn hadn't lost it.

"Why..?" Drew stopped after a couple steps, turning around to face him. His breathing was steady and his shoulders were tense, as if he were waiting for something to come. There was even more curiosity eating away at him than before.

"Trust me. I'm protecting what little innocence you might have." Paul's eyes narrowed as he slowly stood up.

" _Innocence_? Paul, look man, I've had the sex lecture before." Drew was obviously trying to boast as he began to run his hands through his hair. "And I've also ma-"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" He snapped angrily, clenching his fists.

"Well than what is it, Paul?! Huh?" The chartreuse haired boy frowned.

"You know what, go look. It's not my problem if what's there upsets you."

"Of course. Because I, Drew Hayden, need no one to 'watch over' me."

Whipping around, he stormed ahead. His blood was boiling. That guy. He had the nerve to try and tell _him_ what to do? Unacceptable. An audible sigh with clear irritation was made from behind him. Was this really something so disturbing that it startled someone like Paul? No. The dude was probably just screwing around with him.

It was dark. Drew could only make out a few unidentifiable shapes in the shadows. Aside from the scent of blood, it wasn't really that scary. Maybe Paul was afraid of the dark or something?

Oh, how wrong he was.

As his eyes adjusted, Drew nearly screamed. Which was very odd because he usually found screaming extremely girlish and wimpy.

In front of him was a decapitated pig, blood sloppily smeared across the ground as if someone were trying to draw with it. Although, they looked more like scribbles from a kindergartener's notebook. Just above the body, hanging from the tree was a rotting head of a man. Drew shivered as he observed the man's features. The face was almost tattered to bits, like something had viciously came at it.

It's eyeballs were missing leaving empty, gaping holes in the head. His scalp was a whole different thing. Hair from the man's head stuck out, however most of it was violently ripped out of his skull, causing blood to trickle down his already torn up face. It was hung with a fairly thick and worn out looking bloodied rope. There was way too much blood. Too much for Drew to handle. Too many unbearable scents.

Drew could feel violent shaking and cold rushes pulsing through him. Something was definitely coming up, probably the fish from earlier. He'd seen many horror movies in his time back home with his parents, but to experience the real thing? This was way scarier than it looked on a screen.

A burning, scorching hot pain took over the back of his throat. Falling onto his hands in knees, he threw up. His body was trying desperately to get rid of the food from his stomach. Vision blurring, the chartreuse haired boy fell backwards after he finished extracting the vomit from his stomach and mouth and began to grasp at clumps of rusty brown grass.

"Paul... What is this supposed to be?!" Drew inhaled loudly, as if it were to be his last breath. Standing up, he began to back up until he stood back at Paul's side.

"There's something very strange about this place..." Shifting and rustling sounds filled the air as Paul finally stood up. The stony expression was about as terrifying as the sight before him. Although somehow, a sense of reassurance and trust overwhelmed Drew. This guy, who he had thought was about as emotional as a robot or rock, had showed him signs of humanity. Fear. Which was shocking as he did not seem like the type of person to react at all. And the fact that Paul found something like this terrifying meant that in no way would he do something as violent as this, right? Certainly not. Although, this probably wasn't the time to worry.

"We need to go and report this to Red, can you stand?" He grunted casually, as if nothing had happened. Which was one of the things Drew didn't like about him. He hadn't known Paul long, but he definitely could see that he was trying to play tough. However, Drew smiled softly, realizing that the Paul was practically hugging the wood spear. Yes. Definitely human.

"Certainly. It would be quite sad if someone as great as me couldn't." Puffing out his aching chest and wiping his mouth, Drew gave a small hair flick. He rushed ahead, although he had a lot of pride, even Drew did not want to be in the shady, bloodied clearing of the forest anymore. A small huff, just barely audible from behind him was what his ears picked up. Quivering slightly from the shock from earlier, Drew continued onwards back to the edge of the woods. This experience was not one that he would forget easily.

Paul walked steadily behind him, almost as if he was expecting something to jump out and assault them. Deciding to stay quiet and not try to make a joke of it, Drew looked forward, walking in silence. He seriously doubted that Paul would want to talk with him anyway.

* * *

"I-I got it!"

Leaf accidentally squealed in delight. She gasped, realizing how loud she was being before nervously glancing around. Deciding that no one had heard her, she turned her head back to a flopping fish with beautiful silver scales. It was still early morning, however the sun was partially up, sunlight glistening on the ocean waters.

Picking up the fish with delicate care, Leaf quickly identified it to be a spotted sea trout. Smiling proudly, she whispered a low thank you to her father. For he had been a bit of a fisherman himself and took it upon himself to teach her a little bit. Small amounts of blood began trickling from her hands, down the rock she sat upon, and into the water below. Fish like these were usually in deep harbors and oyster reefs, however, since it was the early morning, drop offs and slightly shallow areas were simply perfect.

"You're beautiful.." Locking eyes with the dying fish, Leaf gave it a pitied look. "But I'm afraid I must take you because I am hungry... And I can't rely on the others forever. I need to contribute too." She murmured as if she were talking to a young child. With one swift movement, Leaf slid a thin rock with rugged edges across it's head.

"You're quite the fisherman, aren't you."

"Whu-ah!" The brunette jumped in surprise, hair and fish blood flying up as she almost lost her balance and the dead fish. However, Leaf quickly clasped onto a rough yet dull edge of the rock which was sticking out just a little bit. Looking up, she saw Red approaching her, wading in from the sandy shores.

"I didn't expect you to be up so early after you fell asleep so abruptly last night." The man gave a warm laugh. A laugh which warmed Leaf's heart. She twitched a little, getting a sudden urge to run and hug him. His personality was almost exactly like her father's, which was frustrating yet comforting.

"I-Is it that strange?" Leaf herself had no idea why she was stuttering. This man was probably the easiest to talk to of all the other survivors she had met so far. Clutching the fish close to her chest, she inhaled and exhaled before looking back up at Red.

"Not at all. It's just that I would have never expected to find you out fishing first thing in the morning. But then again, I really don't know you kids that well." He laughed, tilting his cap upwards. Was that a little habit of his? She faintly blushed. If Red were her age than she just might be falling head over heels in love with him. But unfortunately, Leaf knew that it would be a little bit weird with the age difference and it would be like dating her father. Shivering at the thought, she opened her mouth to reply.

"I guess so. Have you been feeding us all this time? Ash, Paul, and Drew didn't help fish?" Leaf quietly murmured, admiring her fish's scales once more. She closed one eye and held the fish up to the sunlight to examine it's beauty.

"I trusted them to explore just a little bit. There are some pretty important things we've discovered already, actually." He watched her with a soft smile on his face.

"Really? Like what?" She internally smacked herself. It was then when she took notice of how childish and shy sounded the tone of her voice was. Confident. Be more confident she scolded.

"I don't think it is important for you to know right now. Although, when the time comes, I'll have explanations ready for you and the others." Red leaned forward and reached down to roll up his black pants just a little. Climbing down from the rock where she was perched, Leaf strode past him, fish in hand, heading for the campfire.

"What are you going to do with those fish scales?" He called out, following after her at his own pace. Or at least, that's what she thought he was doing. Turns out he had left a wooden spear on shore. Just how many of those did he make? And how observant can this man get?

"I don't know yet." Leaf quietly replied, just barely audible enough to be heard over the gentle waves of the ocean. A skeptical look flashed across her face as he began to walk towards her. On instinct, she began backing away as he became closer. Even if she knew he wouldn't hurt her, trust was one thing Leaf had almost none of. Especially for men. She closed her eyes, even she did not know what to expect.

After a couple moments of silence, nothing but the wind and the soft repetitive sounds of the sea, Leaf opened her eyes. There, in front of her, was Red with his hand reaching out. It extended and opened up, almost as if the hand itself were asking her to take it. She tilted her head in confusion, looking up at the man who continued his friendly smile.

"Leaf, do you like jewelry?" It really did feel like she was talking with her father. Blinking back a couple tears, Leaf nodded slowly, clutching the fish she held firmly.

"Here." The man reached out a bit farther, making her jump. However, he quickly pulled back. "Am I frightening you? Did I do something wrong?"

"N-No! That's not it!" Her hazel brown hair flicked sparkling droplets of water as she shook her head swiftly to deny it. She realized that her actions may have come across as wild and out of control. Pausing, the only thing she could do is wait for a response and just go with the conversation.

"Well." Red stretched his hand out and paused mid air for a split moment. Realizing that Leaf wasn't going to pull back anymore, he ran his fingers around the fish until his face seemed to almost light up like a child. She stared at him in confusion as he gently pulled off a fairly large scale. It shimmered in the morning light and stood out from all the others. Even though it was bigger than the others, it looked just as fragile.

"I bet this was his prized possession, right?" He winked at her before closing his hand around it. "Let me take this and I'll make something real nice for you."

"Really?" Now she couldn't help but be a bit curious now. Leaf's jade colored eyes seemed to brighten up a little bit more. Again, she mentally scolded herself for acting and looking a bit too childish. Although she couldn't see her reflection or anything, she could see it on his face. The look that says, ' _how cute_ '. But, this time, she didn't mind all that much.

"What will you make?"

"You'll just have to see later." Red hesitated before patting the top of her head softly. Had he noticed Dawn doing it last night? He really was sharp.

"Anyways, shouldn't you get cooking that fish?"

"O-oh!" Leaf almost dropped her catch, scurrying over to the campfire. The four logs laid out around the campfire were still there. However, she felt like something was a little bit different. Looking around, Leaf realized that Red had moved another short log near the fire. It's sides were partially smoothed out and skinned of it's bark. Perfect for cutting things. On top of it was a fairly long rock which looked as if it had been worked at for hours. It reminded her of a fillet knife without much of a handle. Had he made this too?

She set the fish down and smiled softly. They really did have a capable leader. Even if Red hadn't made the knife, he was probably the smartest one of the group. The group... Right, there were two others. That sleaze bag and the ginger. Were they conscious? Were they faking it? No. Why would they fake it?

Turning around, Leaf made her way over to where the giant oak was. A little peek at the two wouldn't hurt, right? Or was it an invasion of privacy to watch someone sleep? She fumbled through her memories to remember what her father had taught her. Inhaling, she walked a bit faster.

Just a peek wouldn't hurt.

* * *

 **So chapter 9 has come to an end, hasn't it?**

 **Was it good? Was it bad?**

 **Haha, so yeah.**

 **This chapter was actually really fun to write and I love writing from Leaf's POV.**

 **I have to remind myself over and over again that the main ships are Contest and Ikari. But I just can't help myself when it comes to developing Leaf's character.**

 **Uuuuh.**

 **So was Paul and Drew's discovery interesting enough?**

 **I wasn't so sure when I reread it, but I guess that's why we have reviews**

 **If Gary had switched places with Red for this scene than it probably would've been cuter. But, he'll have his moments later on, haha.**

 **Thanks again to anyone who has read this fanfiction!**

 **So Yeah!**

 **Please feel free to write a review!**

 **Help make this better c:**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Bear**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **So... What have you guys thought of it so far?**

 **I haven't gotten much reviews, so I'm not really sure how to improve it.**

 **But, I'd like to thank AvatarMomo and Cid Neha.**

 **Thanks for sticking through with me c:**

 **Yesterday I had whole lot of time on my hands. But not everyday will be like that, so here's another chapter.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

Pokemon isn't mine at all.

* * *

 _Chapter 10:_

 _'Just a peek wouldn't hurt'_

As Leaf approached the large oak, she heard a short rustling sound coming from her left. Turning around, she caught sight of Ash, who was practically rolling back and forth on the ground. She stifled a small giggle as he spun over and slapped May in the face. A low grunt erupted from her before she moved and smacked him back.

Just as Leaf switched her attention from them back to the brunette boy and ginger, a loud crash sounded from the woods. Instinctively, she rushed back out towards the campfire and crouched behind one of the four logs.

"Aw, dude, it feels great to be back!"

Out from the trees stumbled Drew. With his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner, walked towards the fire with Paul trailing after him. He had his usual, cocky grin on his face. But then there was Paul who had a dull, unappealing expression plastered on. Leaf relaxed her tense shoulders a little, standing up from where she was _'hiding_ '.

"Hey! It's Leaf!" The grass head exclaimed, plopping down on the log across from her. Silently, Paul sat down beside him, narrowing his eyes at her. It was beginning to creep her out a little bit. Although, she quickly dismissed that thought as it was him who made her realize that her world here was a reality. If he hadn't she might've done something incredibly stupid, thinking that she was invincible.

"Hello.." Leaf greeted with a soft voice, since her conversation with Drew earlier, it had been easier to talk with him. Even so, it was still difficult to speak with males. Paul simply nodded in response, she followed his eyes to the area where the others were sleeping. She noticed his jaw tighten slightly. Was it because Ash and May were unconsciously smacking each other? Or was it because Dawn was snuggling with Lucas? Either way, she decided it would be a good idea to converse just a little.

"S-so... Did you two find anything?" Standing up, she moved over and kneeled in front of the short flat log where her fish lay. Her hand reached over and picked up the makeshift fillet knife.

"Oh..? Well... We did find a dead boar but by then it was probably overflowing with maggots." Drew rubbed the back of his head again like he was hiding something. Slicing downwards, Leaf cut off the scales on the right side of the fish. The pale white color of the tender meat already looked appetizing.

"Hmm? That's it? Did something kill it or did it die of natural causes?" She murmured in a low, quiet voice, focusing on her catch. With a swift slash, she removed the fish of it's scales on the left side.

"Uhm... It died. Of natural causes." Leaf paused, narrowing his eyes before staring up at Drew. He was staring off into the distance ahead while Paul seemed to be resting his eyes. Her fists tightened, sensing the lies in his voice. Just what was on this island? What was so bad that not even Red or Drew would speak about? It was all too confusing and aggravating.

"I see."

Thud.

Both boys stared at her as she made a loud sound. A small amount of blood was splattered across the log. Leaf had just chopped off the sea trout's head. Picking up the head, she stood up and walked over to Drew. Gently dropping it in his lap, she gave him a soft smile.

"For you."

"... What am I to do with it?" He questioned, a look of disgust spreading over his face. Leaf simply shrugged before returning to the wood cutting log. Her ears twitched a little, picking up on a muffle chuckle. Was that coming from Paul? Did he have a thing for dead things or was it actually funny to him? She turned, meeting Paul's coal black eyes. It was just like the first time they had met. Although, this time he was actually staring back.

"Has anyone else joined us?" Paul mumbled, stabbing his wood spear into the sand beside his feet.

"I was just about to check. But I don't think so." Leaf shook her head, chopping off the tail next. She could tell that he wanted to ask where she learned to fillet fish. However, he didn't seem like the type of person to ask people questions in general. Her eyes flickered to where Drew had been sitting, but he wasn't there.

"He's probably getting rid of your present." The plum head yawned, gazing into the fire with a bored expression.

"How mean." A pout appeared on her face along with fake crying sounds. Catching sight of the ribcage, she began to remove it. There was silence between the two for a couple moments as she cleared the fish of it's bones. Neither of them were very talkative and had a difficult time striking up a conversations. Maybe if she were like Dawn or May than she would be able to become his friend. The thought ran circles in her head as she set the bones into a pile to her right.

"On the plane." His voice caught her attention as she started removing the internal organs of the spotted sea trout through where she had removed the head.

"Did you know that brunette?" Paul wasn't about to admit that he had been eavesdropping on her and Gary. Leaf flashed him a slightly skeptical look. She paused her work and sat back, obviously thinking about it.

"You seemed quite close." Was he teasing her about it? No. Paul didn't seem like the type of person who would do that either. A faint blush appeared on her face, remembering his failed attempts at flirting with her.

That perverted bastard. Suddenly, she froze, mentally apologizing to her father. He probably wouldn't be proud to hear that she had used such words, even if she had not exactly said them out loud.

"Put this on a stick and roast them over the coals." Leaf ordered in a tranquil voice, attempting to avoid the topic.

"Don't dodge the subject." Paul took the slightly bloodied and moist chunk of fish Leaf handed him and slid a slim yet sturdy stick through it.

He really was tormenting her! Scowling back at him, she angrily slashed and grabbed at the fish guts in front of her. Well if that's how he's going to play it.

"Just a minute ago." She paused for moment as he had earlier. "Did you know that blue haired girl personally?" Of course she knew her name was Dawn, but it just felt right to copy him a bit.

"You mean that troublesome ball of fury?" He grunted, hovering the fish over the coals.

"' _Troublesome ball of fury'?_ Dawn's a sweet girl." Leaf flashed him what looked like a childishly innocent look of confusion. She had also tilted her head, reminding him of a cat. Cats... Was that her thing or something? Paul snorted in response to her.

"My god, Leaf. That was fucking gross."

Drew broke the incoming silence between the two. He strode back in, brushing his pants off before sitting back down next to Paul again.

"Wuss.."

"What was that, plum?!" A dramatic huff came from him as he gave his hair another flick. Paul muttered something under his breath, turning the fish on the stick slightly. The sun was almost completely up.

"The others should be awake by now..."

"Eh? You're getting up already?"

A feminine voice whined, catching the attention of the three. Leaf could see Paul tense up a little, slack expression tightening into a frown. So this was about Dawn. Right?

"It's about time to wake up anyways." His voice was warm and by the sound of it, full of affection and kindness. Because she loved to read, Leaf would've gone crazy, rooting and cheering for either side. However, if she did that, than the others might not like her. With a sigh, she dug a hole and disposed of the fish there, next to the log she was cutting on.

"I guess so." Lucas walked out, Dawn following close behind. She was still clinging to him, which obviously irked Paul just a tad bit. Although, it occurred to Leaf that Paul may only be like that because he's not too fond of love. But because of her father's words, she decided not to think about it too much or pry.

"Don't worry, I totally ship you two together." Leaf leaned over and whispered in Paul's ear.

"What.." He flashed her a blank look, obviously he didn't understand the joy of having a fandom. She huffed and looked away, waving to both Dawn and Lucas shyly. The two sat down, having one of the logs completely to themselves, they looked very content.

Dawn was held tightly in Lucas' arms. A soft, warm smile displayed on her attractive looking face. Leaf frowned. No matter how nice she was to her, it still irritated Leaf whenever she compared her face to Dawn's. Quickly, pushing negative thoughts from her mind, Leaf grabbed another chunk of fish and stuck it on a stick.

"So, what's going on?' Lucas gave a brilliant smile, which obviously disgusted Paul. Especially with Dawn fiddling with his scarf. Does she realize how much this bugs Paul? Does she realize how their open displays of love pester them all? Leaf noticed a slightly uncomfortable look on Drew's face. He nervously flicked his hair, taking the fish from Leaf and holding it over the fire.

"Nothing." Paul snapped, rotating the stick just a bit more. Just what Leaf needed. A overly affectionate couple, an angry boy, and a awkward boy early in the morning. Groaning, she mentally smacked herself.

"Lucas, dude, why don't you and I go try and wake The Beast." Drew suggested, noticing the tension between the three. She noticed Paul give him a curt nod in thanks. This was getting entertaining.

"The Beast?" Lucas stood up, prying Dawn off of him. At the moment, Leaf couldn't help but think that she was acting like a pathetic, whiney bitch. Although, her father definitely would not approve of that opinion.

"You know, May?" Drew laughed, handing Paul his stick of fish. He walked over towards the oak and into the clearing beside it, dragging Lucas with him.

"Wow, Paul, that looks awesome." With Lucas gone, Dawn's attention was turned over to Paul. Although it would normally be impossible for anyone to read Paul's emotions, Leaf couldn't help but think that he must have some sort of joy pulsating through him. Flashing him a small smile, Leaf turned back to the remaining bits of fish.

"Did you catch it?" Dawn had a genuine smile on her face. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all, as long as Lucas wasn't around. When he was around she was sort of irritating. Leaf instantly began to regret labeling her as a whiney bitch who cared about nothing but her romantic interest. However, there's a good possibility that she and Lucas were just close friends... Leaf could only hope.

"No, she did." Paul quietly replied, pointing at Leaf.

"Really?!" She flew over to where Leaf was cutting at more of the fish meat. Looking over her shoulder, a wide look of admiration and fascination was spread over Dawn's face.

"That's amazing. You must be a very talented fisher." Calming down, Dawn pulled back, sitting on the log to Leaf's left. Reaching out, Dawn patted her head as she had done the night before. The brunette gave her a little grin before beginning to clean the blood off of the wood with a small towel Red had given her. He had kept it in his pocket the entire time, much like her handkerchief. Leaf froze for a minute.

"Paul..., do you still have my handkerchief?"

"Oh? Yeah, here." His fingers reached into his pockets, fumbling through them in search for the cloth she had given him earlier. Pulling out the blood blotched turquoise handkerchief. He hadn't noticed earlier, but her name was sewn into the side in fancy letters.

"I'm glad your arm stopped bleeding but this is... No, never mind." Leaf sighed quietly, snatching it out of his hands. Paul muttered an apology before turning back to the fish he was cooking.

"Leaf, want to go find something to do? Maybe you can teach me how to fish?" Dawn suggested, getting a little bored. Although Leaf really did want to take the opportunity to get to know her better, she figured that this would be a good opportunity to have Paul and Dawn get along a bit better. As last night there was a bit too much tension between the two.

"I'd love to teach you sometime, but I need to finish cooking up the fish. Maybe Paul could hang out with you? He could teach you how to make or find something?" Leaf replied, winking at Paul, who gave a low grunt. However, as much as she would like to help Paul, Leaf also wanted to be alone. Because, that's what she was used to.

"A-ah..." The midnight blue haired girl looked slightly uneasy as her eyes flickered back and forth between them. "Alright... I guess."

"Sorry." Leaf gave her an apologetic look, grabbing the sticks with the fish from Paul as he stood up.

"Let's get this over with."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you know that, right?" Dawn fiddled with her thumbs awkwardly.

"If I let you stay here you'll bother Leaf's work and Drew and Lucas are already struggling enough just to wake Ash and May up. And we shouldn't bother Red while he's fishing." Paul growled.

"I won't bother anyone!" She frowned.

"Heh." He snorted, averting his eyes. "Right." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. Leaf frowned, at the moment, she couldn't tell whether he liked her or not. At this rate, it was pointless.

"What the hell, bitch!"

"It's your fault for waking me up like that, you perverted rapist!"

"I didn't even touch you!"

May and Drew's voices began to rise from where the clearing in the woods was. The brunette dragged her hands down her face in displeasure. She just wanted some peace and quiet. Leaf couldn't finish up her fish with all the noise.

"Earlier May and Drew found a lake that way." Pointing to the far left of the beach, she stood up. Leading the two over to where they had last entered the woods, Leaf shoved Dawn in the back.

"Ouch! Leaf!"

Paul glared down at her. Honestly, Leaf was afraid of what he'd do to her, but she figured since the others were around it was safe. She pushed him roughly, however he didn't budge even a little bit. In embarrassment, she looked to Dawn for help, but she just smirked back.

"Just go." Leaf returned Paul's glare. He let out a aggravated sigh before stepping into the woods and began walking ahead.

"He's so difficult." Dawn shook her head, apologizing to her before running after him.

"Ugh, you god damned bitch!" Turning around, Leaf walked back to the campfire, seeing May flop down on a log closest to the ocean.

"Shut the hell up, you dirty old man!" She hissed angrily. Taking notice of her, May leaned back and gave a very chill, laid back look to her.

"Oh hey, Leaf." A wide warm grin spread across the other brunettes face.

"H-hello.." Leaf hadn't exactly spoken with her too much so she felt a bit more nervous. "How's your a-arm.." Her voice was hushed to a whisper.

"Oh this?" May lifted up her right arm, rested in the sling with her good left arm. "Yeah, it's fine!"

"Th-thats good..."

"Yeah! I'm all good. Mighty strong and more powerful than every, right?!" Confidently, she pulled out 'the guns', flexed and kissed the muscle on her left arm.

"Calm yourself, Maple, you're scaring the poor girl." Drew laughed, flicking his hair.

"Really? I think it's more you than me. I mean, I'd be pretty damn afraid of a twisted pervert breathing down my neck too."

"'Breathing down my neck'?! Since when did I do that?!"

"This morning, you asshole!"

"It was just a fucking joke!"

"Didn't seem like it when you tried to seduce me!"

"What the crap?! I wouldn't fall for you or your fat ass body if it meant my life! Much less seduce you! Your personality is terrible and would it hurt you to be just a little bit more feminine?! This whole tomboy act isn't hot or appealing in the least bit."

...

Silence.

Everyone, even Ash, were silent. Leaf stared at the two, their argument hadn't even been that long and yet feelings were already hurt. She glared at Drew, reaching out to touch May's shoulder.

An icy cold feeling rushed over her. May herself knew she ate just a tad bit more than the average girl, but she was still sensitive about it. Bitter. Cold. It felt as if her heart had momentarily stopped beating and her warm blood was replaced with freezing water. But why on earth would she feel this way? Just a second ago everything was fine.

She was happy.

So what had changed in that little time? How could he provoke her so easily? Without a care? It was just a joke. A joke. Of course that grass headed bastard had woken her up like that to screw with her. It was only natural, they were rivals, enemies, it was their jobs to pick on each other. May was supposed to be tough. The toughest girl of the survivors, aside from the ginger, who they had not identified yet. Yet it felt as if all of her strength had been drained from her by him. She froze.

"Maple..." Drew's eyebrows furrowed together.

"It's fine." Lowering her head, May grumbled.

"It doesn't look like it, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!"

"January."

"We're done here."

"Don't be like that. What's up, you usually don't get this angry with me. It's normal for me to say this stuff, right?"

"Fuck off, Hayden!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

"Forget it!" Tears streaked down her face as she lifted it for a brief moment. She stormed off into the woods, not bothering to look into his eyes as she ran.

"Someone better go with her before she gets into trouble again." Drew sighed, looking upwards again. "What?"

Ash gave him a sad look, shaking his head. Which was shocking as he had shone everyone nothing but smiles the past three days. Leaf nervously fiddled her hair, but even so, gave him a deadly glare. Then there was Lucas who had a slightly shocked expression on his face. Had he never seen an argument like this?

"You're not going to go?" Ash murmured, looking around for Red, who was no where in sight.

"He'll just make things worse." Leaf spoke up, breaking away from her usually silent and soothing tone.

"I... I didn't mean it lik-"

"Than what did you mean?!" She hissed at him. The other two peered at them, obviously curious, as angry outbursts didn't exactly fit Leaf's personality.

"You're the worst. I'll go." Leaf spat bitterly, rushing into the forest without another word. Just before leaving she whipped around and locked eyes with Drew.

"Repent."

* * *

 **That concludes chapter 10!**

 **Alright, it was a little bit rushed, but at least we got the drama going, right?**

 **And maybe Paul and Dawn's relationship will improve just a tad bit.**

 **Oh... Oops, so Misty and Gary aren't exactly important now, so they'll just chill in the background with Lucas now, haha.**

 **Not to worry, things will get going sooner or later.**

 _ **I'm still debating whether or not I want to change the rating to M due to more mature language and gore. Opinions?**_

 **Anyways.**

 **Will Paul and Dawn's relationship get better?**

 **And**

 **What will happen with May, Leaf, and Drew?**

 **Also**

 **Where did Red go?**

 **Thanks a lot, readers. You guys are amazing.**

 **So yo, please feel free to review! Favorite! Follow!**

 **It all helps support the story!**

 **Thanks again!~**

 **~Bear**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 ):o**

 **Several pieces of junk I just want to say...**

 **Thanks to any/all of my readers, I really appreciate you coming back, reading, and bothering to leave a nice review.**

 **Hello again, PolarDawn, I'm glad you continued reading after you finished your work. So thanks again for the help!**

 **And while we're on the topic of work, I'll say that I haven't had much work these days and I haven't had much time to draw ;~;**

 **Especially with my major artblock. Therefore my DeviantArt and Instagram are pretty much dead at the moment. But, anyways, that also means that I also have a whole lot of writers block.**

 **So hit me with a bus.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

 _Chapter 11:_

 _'I won't bother anyone!'_

"Earlier I heard Drew talking. Just before Lucas and I decided to get up..." Dawn walked quickly up from behind Paul. He quickly glanced at her before looking back ahead, speeding up his pace just a little. The blue haired girl frowned a little, hastily moving to catch up.

"What was that about?" She inquired, putting her index finger to her lower lip. An audible grunt came from him as he silently moved forward. Her frown moved into a slight scowl, however Dawn was not one to give up after one rejection. Curiosity ran in her blood.

"Was it related to _that_?" Eyes narrowing, she bit her lower lip at the thought of the incident. The warm feeling of the blood still remain on her hands no matter how many times she washed them. Dawn shivered a little bit, awaiting his response. He looked as if he honestly didn't want to talk about it, but by the look on his face, she could see that he must be at least close to spilling.

"What did you find?" Another question escaped her mouth. A sigh escaped his mouth before he stopped whirled around to face her. Stopping in front of him, Dawn's eyes locked with his cold, emotionless ones.

"Dead." Paul growled, fists clenching around his wooden spear.

"Dead? Dead what?"

"A dead man... and a boar.." He suddenly averted his eyes from hers.

"A boar? So like emboar or a swinub?" Her reply certainly wasn't unreasonable. Both he and Drew were equally shocked when they discovered it. Paul had also wondered why Leaf found the pig ordinary when they explained what they had found. So the other girl had suspected that they meant a Pokemon?

"No. Nothing like that." The boy denied, glaring icily back at her wide bright gaze. It was quite captivating for him and Paul found himself staring until she directed the topic circling his head back on track.

"So are you... talking about an... animal?" A look of shock and clear disturbance spread across her face. But of course she would look like that, since animals were believed to be extinct. Any animals you'd find in a textbook back in Sinnoh or any other region were strictly labelled as creatures of mythology. Paul gave her a curt nod before beginning to walk once more.

"W-wait!" Dawn hurried after him. Compared to her, he was a pretty fast walker. She still had several more questions to ask, especially since he had claimed to have found a supposedly extinct creature.

"What killed the man? Was the pig alive? Did it look like the images you'd find online? What did the crime scene look like?"

Her questions were beginning to irritate the hell out of him. Crime scene? Did she seriously just call it that? On an unknown island who knows how far away from civilization, a murder can not be referred to as a crime. Especially since there was no authority of any kind aside from Red.

"I don't know about what killed the man and I... don't feel like talking about it..." He grumbled, squinting a little. Further up ahead, light flooded in through the trees. The lake that Drew and Bandana girl had found should be up just through there. Thinking of water, Paul mentally jumped for joy, it had been weeks since anyone was able to bathe. And no one really had the guts to put their naked bodies in the ocean where anyone could walk 'in' on them. There was also the fact that it was wiser to travel with a partner at all times, no matter how skeptical we were of each other. It seems that Red is confident in who we all are as people.

Although, just about everyone aside from Drew was suspicious of him. And he had no idea what Dawn thought of him either. However, after her little scene from yesterday morning, she would be hypocritical to say he was violent or a threat. Even so, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Since that day at the airport, his interest couldn't help but be piqued. Which said something as he preferred not to get involved with too many people.

"I see... But, was it scary?" Her footsteps made soft crunching sounds from behind him as they drew closer and closer to the lake.

"Why does it matter?" He grumbled, sliding a finger down his spear. It was smooth and well-crafted. As expected of a product made by Red himself. That guy seemed to have way more experience out in the wild than anyone else in the group. Which was definitely a mystery as none of them had even thought about him what his previous or current job was. Maybe it was a hobby? Shaking his head, Paul decided that he would simply ask Red about it later rather than wasting valuable energy thinking about it.

"I was just wondering." Dawn began to hum quietly. The song she hummed was not one that Paul recognized. She must've made it up in her head as it seemed slightly repetitive and sloppy. They walked wordlessly, Dawn's song was the only thing that kept the mood less awkward. Although, the bright tune of it was beginning to creep Paul out a little bit. However, he decided not to say anything as to ruin her mood and be forced to put up with pathetic whining.

Birds chirped and more leaves and twigs were crushed under their shoes as they neared the entry to the lake. Branches, bushes, and grass were recklessly shoved aside as they stepped through and into the bright light. May and Drew must have cleared this out the day before. Yet something seemed very off and nerve-wracking. Paul didn't know what, but something was making him extremely uneasy. This uneasy feeling was the same which struck him the last two horrific incidents. Instinctively, he closed his eyes as he was engulfed by sunlight and the light sounds of small waves on the lake filled his ears.

"Hey, Paul?" Dawn's soft voice whispered to him.

"What do you want?" Paul couldn't help but glare at her. It just seemed natural and oddly befitting for a conversation with her. But, usually this was the reason why the two clashed. With his eyes still closed, he inhaled fresh air, slacking his grip on his weapon.

"Nothing... It's just... Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" She murmured, eyes flickering around the area. Shaking his head, Paul opened his eyes to see the lake in front of him. Walking ahead, he observed how clear the water looked along with how fresh the plants growing around it were. To his right, a dragonfly about the size of his hand landed on the leaf of a cattail. The peaceful atmosphere was certainly great, especially with the lack of people around. Remembering a little bit of Leaf's eagerness to get everyone away from the camp or busy, he figured that she was the type who liked to be alone. Honestly, that girl was almost just like him. Having said that, she was definitely kinder than he could ever be as far as he knew. Maybe he would mention this place to her?

"How long are we going to be here?"

Wow. It was just question after question. Was there any real conversing going on when others talked with Dawn or was it just her asking them questions. And Paul was in no mood for anymore interviews or random questions.

"Probably for a bit, maybe explore just a little." He muttered. A frown found it's way to her face.

"The last time you said _that_ a wild creature tried to kill you." Her reply was anything but pleasant to him. After what had happened earlier that morning with Drew, the last thing Paul wanted to think about was past events or gore.

"That was _one_ time. Let it go." Grumbling, he rolled up his pant legs and waded into the water. The refreshing water almost seemed to be seeping into his aching muscles and bones. Scooping up some of the cold, clear water with his right arm, he began to clean the remaining dried blood from off of his lower left arm. He shivered as his eyes travelled to the bite mark. They had been lucky enough that the cannibalistic girl had not been carrying a weapon on her. However, no matter what he did, Paul could simply not go at least an hour without staring at the large scar. At times, he still found himself worrying over whether his wound would get infected or not, even if it was beginning to close up.

"I can't let it go and obviously you can't either!" Paul looked up to see Dawn peering closer at his arm. Her eyebrows were knitted together, a worried expression plastered over her face. His eyes simply gazed at her blankly in return. After the encounter from yesterday, he couldn't look at her face without seeing the red, tear stained expression which was coated with rage. It was too distracting and aggravating to think about. Does everyone look like that when they go insane? How could she recover in just a day? No, she had recovered in the matter of minutes because of _him_. Although, he couldn't be too sure. She could still be mentally ill.

"Paul?" Unconsciously, he had moved even farther away from where Dawn was standing. The worried expression that triggered his memories faded from her face. Which was great, as Paul preferred not to think about too many things. Having too many memories would only hurt you in the end after all. At least, that's what he thought. Memories of his father were a _perfect_ example.

"-aul? Hey, Paul, are we going to move or not? The feeling that we're being watched is beginning to freak me out." Dawn walked towards him and tugged on the sleeve of his black and light gray hoodie.

"Fine, let's go take a look around. But only straight ahead, no twisting and turning, we can't afford to get lost." He felt slightly light headed. Memories and thoughts circled and clouded his head. If you could look into his aching head then it would look incredibly misty looking. Once more, he moved unconsciously, this time reaching up to his shoulder. His hands grabbed at the fabric of his hood. That's right, he remembered. He had left his travel bag back at camp along with his MP3 player and earphones. It was a miracle that it even survived in the flames of the crash.

At the moment, Paul just wanted to lay down and listen to music. But he decided that he'd only use it when he really needed it, as it only had so much power in it's battery. Which drove him nuts as keeping his sanity and emotions was beginning to get slightly rougher than it was in the first two days.

"Paul, come on."

Blinking, he looked up to see Dawn walking straight ahead. She had a slightly pleading look on her face. Did she really want to leave the lake area that badly?

"Paul, please, it's really creeping me out." Fiddling with her thumbs more, Dawn frowned and began to anxiously sway back and forth on her feet.

"Alright, get moving." With a sigh, Paul shoved her in the back roughly before walking ahead.

* * *

'Repent'

"May, please wait up."

Leaf's soft and quiet voice echoed throughout the woods as she rushed after the other brunette. Twigs and leaves snapped loudly as May stormed through the woods. She couldn't tell whether May was genuinely enraged or upset with Drew. Whatever it was, going off aimlessly into the woods was a job for Ash or Paul. Although, Ash might've been just plain clueless.

Her hand was clutched around the blunt, half finished spear. Earlier, Drew had tossed it to her, claiming it was for self defense. Which wasn't all that strange, considering the fact that more than ninety percent of the woods on the island were unexplored. However, something was getting under her skin. Was it because of the drama? Or maybe it was the fact that both Paul and Drew seemed like they were hiding something when she asked. Shaking her head, she directed her concentration back to May.

"May, where are you going?" Gaining speed, she became closer and closer to May. As the girl stomped through the woods, Leaf swore that she must've awaken the whole forest. For the past couple minutes she had been following May, making sure that she wouldn't get lost or into trouble. And she had also been continuously pestering her about what was going on. Even if Leaf knew that some people need space and time, now wasn't the time to get into that. Especially with several other survivors depending on the amount of help.

"Just leave me alone, damn it!" She spat, continuing to move forward without looking back. That was enough for Leaf. Wordlessly, she took a deep breath before dashing ahead to catch up. As a child she'd had a lot of practice running whenever her eevee ran off. Although, even with a good amount of stamina built up, the task of chasing May around was beginning to get tiresome.

"N-no need for harsh language!" Her voice shook a little bit as she made her way up, now directly behind May. Eying her broken arm swaying back and forth in the splint, Leaf noticed that it was causing her difficulties as she ran.

"What the- Get the hell away from me!"

Indeed it sounded harsh, but Leaf could hear how close her voice sounded to breaking. From the distance, what sounded like a bird pokemon squawked. While leaves rustled and crackled under their feet, gusts of wind blew in their faces ever so gently.

"P-please c-c-calm down!" Dropping her weapon with a thud, she lunged.

Step. Crackle. Crash.

May screamed in surprise. Leaf had jumped on her, careful when picking her angle so that she would not force May down on her broken arm. Together, they came crashing down onto the ground.

"Fuck, now both of my arms hurt. What the hell was that for?!" Opening her shut eyes to May's voice, Leaf's eyes made contact with her frowning, tear stained face. A face which made her heart ache for the other girl, even if they hadn't known each other for very long. What had caused all of this? Why was she acting like this. This wasn't the girl she had met earlier at all.

"Wh-what happened back there?" She quietly murmured, digging her head into the thrashing brunette's chest. Her heartbeat was very rapid, pounding. Leaf didn't know how to calm her down, which is what was a bit scary. Having been on an island for three days now, who knows what the others would do when put on the spot. The warmth of another person was something she had not felt in a long time. It was not something she would let herself feel either. Soothing. Calming. Like a paradise.

"I don't know!" May wailed, voice horse from sobs. It brought even more mixed feelings into Leaf's heart and mind. She felt May's chest stagger from underneath her head as she wrapped her arms around her waist. If there was one thing she was good at, it was comforting people. At least, that's what her father told her.

"Did it make you feel conscious..?" A whisper escaped Leaf's lips. A lock of hair fell in front of her face as May tried once more to push her away.

"Haha! Of c-course not, I'm more confident than Drew!" The laugh that she forced out made her furrow her eyebrows even more than they already were. Not a single sound could be heard from the woods surrounding them. No birds, animals, pokemon, rustling leaves, nothing. It was as if the only two people left in the world right now were them. In this awkward scenario.

"D-don't... Don't you dare lie to me!" Leaf shouted, tightening her grip on her. "I know how you're feeling.. I-I think!"

"Shut the hell up! You don't know me at all! You're just a stranger! You're all just strangers! What the fuck would you know?!" Her thrashing started up again. Struggling to get away, May began slamming her good fist against Leaf's back. She cried out in pain, closing her eyes and simply waiting for her to calm down. Again and again her back was pounded by the furious and confused girl.

"P-please stop!" Even though it hurt, Leaf knew that it was only a matter of time before she stopped... Hopefully. More pain stuck through and down her spine. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of one who was hurting more than she was now. It would be a insensitive thing to do.

After several more strikes, she stopped. May laid back, Leaf still on her, both gasping for air. Her eyes were red and puffy, the same color of her face. Eyes shut closed, Leaf leaned into May just a bit further, relaxing her embrace. Suddenly, May inhaled a large breath of air, startling her.

"I'm so... sorry!" She almost screamed in Leaf's ear. Leaf could hear the other brunette's sobs starting up again, although this time they were silent.

"It's alright.." Pulling herself up, she got off of May and sat backwards.

"No it's not okay!" May lowered her head, staring at the ground in front of her. A tiny drop of blood fell to the ground, when Leaf opened her eyes she could see that she was biting her lower lip. It looked extremely painful, causing her to look away.

In front of her, May shifted her splint around until she regained comfort in it. The warmth that Leaf had given her could still be slightly felt, giving her shivers as another gust of wind blew in. Clear and genuine guilt spread over her face.

"I don't know what's happening to me and I hurt you... I hate it, I hate Drew, I hate mysel-" Her blubbering was stopped as the petite girl hugged her again. Since Leaf was shorter than her, it almost felt like a child was clinging to her.

"L-look, Leaf, I-"

"Let's just shut up for now, okay?" Leaf silenced her again.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 is officially completed c:**

 **I suppose I included a little bit of drama near the end, it did seem like May was overreacting just a tad bit. However, this chapter was dedicated to my friend who's currently in depression.**

 **She thinks that she's all alone and has been acting really pessimistic lately. And unfortunately, there's nothing I can do but support her. I really don't have the courage to say anything in real life, so hey, she knows who she is.**

 **So if you're reading this, friend, everyone's been through it. Although not everyone has someone who will cry for them and tell them that it's alright, so be lucky, okay? You're going to be fine, mkay? Got that?**

 **As for Paul and Dawn, I dunno what I'm going to do, but they will discover something... Unpleasant? Uhuehuehue c:**

 **Uh... So yeah, that's about it! I'm thinking about whether I want to replace the May and Drew character tags for this story and putting Leaf and Gary as the second main ship. Although I love CS, it just seems like I've been writing a lot about Leaf lately.**

 **Maybe I need to do some more writing for Dawn and make her more appealing than she is now? I feel like I've began to portray Dawn as sort of a bitch.**

 **What do you guys think? Who should I write more as?**

 **Yep! That's all I have to say now, feel free to leave a review!**

 **Help me make my story better!**

 **Bear~!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, it's chapter 12~!**

 **Yep, I know I've had a lot of errors in the past and I try to cover it up by saying over and over again how confident I am or will be the next time. But this time, don't hurt me when I say it again, but I'm _super_ confident this time!**

 **Gratitude:**

 **Once more, Cid Neha, thanks for dropping by to read! It means a lot that you can keep up with my updates!**

 **Hey, PolarDawn, great to see you again! Thanks for making time to read and review! Your corrections and critiques came in handy while writing this chapter!**

 **Hello, L.R! I think it's awesome that you finally got an account! And, I really appreciate all the support you've given. Yes, Leaf is definitely a favorite of mine too, she's a lot of fun to write about!**

 **And thanks to anyone else who's been reading since the beginning or just now!**

 **So that's the end of my little Gratitude paragraph.**

 **What am I doing in real life?**

 **Yep, I've got absolutely no life. All I do is homework, anime, reading, painting, maybe play with my guinea pig, and write. Although I know I'm going to die when I get into high school and college e.e. So although I'm enjoying having almost nothing productive to do, I feel so lazy, haha. Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently, but I'll be absent again this week because of class field trip/camp and a family trip... They just keep dragging me left and right over and over again, don't they?**

 **Well, I guess it's better than sitting at home and doing nothing, right?**

 **Anyways!**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon

* * *

 _Chapter 12:_

 _'Alright, get moving.'_

The silence was killing her.

She didn't understand how Paul could simply stay quiet and listen all the time. Surely he'd love to say something more than the shortest sentence possible when responding to people. When he did say something lengthy it was usual when he was enraged. Talking to him was like talking to a rock. You couldn't get any useful or interesting information out of it. At the moment, the mood was incredibly awkward and it seemed very tense as well.

Now if Lucas were here instead of Paul, Dawn could be engaging in a deep or funny conversation. It would be great if she could have a good laugh, but of course, that would make Paul think she was mentally ill again. The look that he gave her during the _incident_ was one she simply could not forget. Even so, aside from keeping his distance from her, he showed no signs of remembering or dwelling on what had happened. Maybe he was trying to forget it? If only it were that easy for her.

Sunlight broke through the trees, early morning was long gone as noon crept up on them. Usually she would be hungry by now, but that uncomfortable feeling of something watching her from earlier was draining her appetite. Pulling down her dusty white beanie just a bit, Dawn sped up her pace to catch up with Paul. Did he always walk this fast? That day when he took her with him was he slowing down just for her?

Her eyes flickered upwards and observed his stiff looking back as she lowered her head into the scarf around her neck. The stiffness she saw in his posture. Was he nervous? Or maybe he would decide she was a threat to the group's survival and kill her. Those thoughts made her very uneasy. Maybe, just maybe, was it still possible to become his friend? He wasn't Lucas, but everybody has things that make them different. Different from her ideals, humanity's ideals. Even so, they should still be accepted.

"Hey, Paul!" Taking a deep breath, Dawn plastered a small, warm smile on her face. No matter how much he scared her, making him her friend was still worth a shot.

"What do you want?" His voice seemed to be coated in ice. It didn't exactly seem like he wanted to talk to her, but she wouldn't back down just yet.

"I feel like our first impressions each other seemed very off. Also, I feel like the person you met on the plane wasn't really real either. So, I'd like to start over." She stopped a couple feet behind him and gave him a soft smile. Paul also came to a halt. Turning around, his emotionless eyes locked with her warm eyes. Extending a hand, a confident look spread over Dawn's face, this one less feminine than the one he had received on the plane.

"Dawn Berlitz, fifteen-year-old coordinator. Nice to meet you!"

Although it wasn't as fiery as Bandana Girl's, her passion seemed to be unusually audible to Paul. Hesitantly, he took her soft hand as he had done on the plane with his right hand. Even if his face was still stone cold and unreadable, Dawn refused to let her smile falter, expecting a proper introduction. With a sigh, the grip he had on his spear slackened as he opened his mouth to reply.

"Paul... Shinji. sixteen-year-old trainer.."

The patient expression on her face turned into a look of content. Satisfied with his response, she nodded. For a couple minutes the two stood in silence as Paul had no idea what else to say. That is, until Dawn began to look a bit awkward and antsy.

"I'd appreciate it if you could let go now." She spoke formally for reasons unknown to Paul or even herself. It just felt natural.

"Ah... Sorry." Muttering an apology, Paul let go of her hand. All of the warmth that he felt vanished in just seconds. Hopefully, the girl didn't notice the slight look of regret that flashed across his face. How long had it been since he'd had physical contact with something living aside from Reggie? Not really that long, but he couldn't help the feeling that arose in his chest and face. This feeling was completely foreign to him. Smiling over something other than success or strife? It wasn't like him.

"It's nothing." Dawn's smile faded as she began to look around. There was something. Something was still watching them and it wouldn't go away. It was behind her, she could feel it.

"A-anyways! Should we get going?" Eager to move onward, she quickly began to move forward through the woods. Grunting in response, leaves crackled as Paul followed after her. Could he sense it too? Or was it just her head messing with her?

Silent murmurs entered her ears. The only question was, 'where _were they coming from?_ ' Many questions filled her head as she pondered over it. Shuffling her feet, she could feel her shoulders tense as the thoughts circled her head. Where? What? Why? Curiosity. It was something that she possessed and loved. Mystery. Suspense. Secrets. Problems. Dawn loved to read about those types of things in books, but this island was far beyond different compared to novels.

"What's up with you?" He grumbled quietly, picking up on her uneasy behavior.

"Oh, uhm, there's just something that's been bugging me." Glancing around, she nestled further into her scarf. Almost as if she were trying to hide behind it. She could almost sense the scowl that appeared on his face. It felt as if his eyes were burning into the back of her head, slightly disturbing. Even so, Dawn couldn't help but find his coal black eyes slightly intriguing.

"And what might that be?" Paul inquired, feeling the smooth shaft of the spear. Her eyes landed on it, watching as he rid it of the dirt clung to it. Dawn wasn't exactly sure how to explain it to him. Not that he would believe her if she said anything, but it was worth a shot.

The atmosphere seemed to be getting thicker, colder, definitely not the most pleasant. Faster. Faster. Speeding up her face, that was the only thing she could do. If she kept moving than whatever was lurking around couldn't touch her. Especially not with Paul right behind her.

"Don't you notice it?" Whipping around, Dawn fumed, frustrated with the feeling. Even if she had slightly repaired the tension between them, she didn't care. She was mad. Angry. Frustrated. Afraid.

"No... Maybe it would help if you showed me where it was?" His tone seemed to be coated with annoyance. How on earth could he not see it? Her bunneary would have done a better job noticing it.

"It's right ther-" As she moved to point in the direction of the feeling, two figures burst from the bushes with savage screeches.

Headed straight for Dawn.

* * *

"That was a great nap!"

Stretching, Ash lazily walked out to the campfire with a yawn. He cracked his neck before licking his lips as the scent of cooking fish entered his nose. It was noon now and he had decided to sleep just to avoid the tension that built up after Leaf and May ran off. Drama wasn't really his sort of thing, not only did he not understand it, but it was just pointless. Like, why fight over a guy or a girl when you could be chowing down on pizza? At least, that's what he thought.

With a thump, he flopped down on an open log across from Drew. The chartreuse haired boy seemed to be incredibly depressed. Something that Ash didn't like to see. Plastering a big, warm grin on his face, Ash flicked a small pebble at him.

"It's alright, Drew! I'm sure she understands that you were just messing around, right?" His eyebrows furrowed together with slight worry. Drew's head shook back and forth in response as he held his head in his hands, staring out at the blazing fire.

Ash looked around, listening to the ocean. Dawn and Paul had gone off somewhere, Leaf and May were also probably floating through the woods. Then he and Drew were here, which left... Red. Where was Red? Just before he had gone to sleep, Ash had seen him wandering around the ocean shore. However, he hadn't even thought to count up the group members again. Well, Red could probably handle himself. Surely, their leader wouldn't run off and do anything too reckless. Then there should be two more? He had only identified the red haired one, uncertain about the brunettes identity.

"Ngh.." Reaching up, Ash began to rub his temples. Usually he didn't have to think too hard about these sorts of things. Normally it was his traveling partners or mother who did a lot of the work for him. Following directions was pretty much the only thing he could do well, aside from eating and training his Pokemon.

Pokemon... Something felt missing. He had woken up right after the crash feeling perfectly normal. Of course, there were Pokemon in his luggage, he knew that much. However, Ash felt as if he were forgetting something very important. Maybe a friend? Was he depressed because he may never see his loved ones again? That would make sense, but this sort of feeling felt a bit different than depression.

Unconsciously, he reached up and touched his right shoulder. It felt cold and somehow empty. Pain struck his head.

Yeah, he'd done enough thinking for today. _Great job_ , he mentally praised himself.

"'Scuse me... Hey!... I'm talking to you, hey!"

An angry, rough voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up, expecting Drew to be shouting at him, but the other boy simply stared on into space. Turning his head in the direction of a frustrated growl, Ash's eyes locked on a certain fiery girl. Smile creeping onto his face, he laughed and shifted on the log he was sitting on.

"Misty!" Ash lurched forward and gave her an overly affectionate hug, not that he noticed though. "How've you been?!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Ash, you dunce! I wake up next to some stranger and come out to see you with another stranger so the first thing you say is ' _how've you been_ '?!" She fumed, narrowing her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. It'd been several days since the crash and after the second day they had stopped rinsing the unconscious with water. Because of that, Misty's face had visible grease clinging to it along with multiple burns just below her lip. Even so, she still had a very attractive looking face.

"Well, should I explain it to you or-"

"Yes!" Misty scowled as he laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

* * *

 **So chapter 12 is finished!**

 **I'm sorry that it's so short, but I figured I might as well update before I leave, you know?**

 **Well, Red is still missing, Drew is depressed, both Ash and Misty are confused, and Paul and Dawn are in yet another predicament.**

 **Will this group ever get a break? Gary's still out cold as far as we know.**

 **Ahaha, yeah, so I'm sorry for Ash and Misty's very short scene. But I needed to get everything together and organized, uahaahaha.**

 **Has anyone noticed the pattern for the more violent events/chapters?**

 **I'll leave it to you guys to figure it out.**

 **Yep, so, thanks to everyone who's supported me up until now. I honestly didn't think I'd get this far in my fanfiction, my intentions were to write one chapter and then leave, but something's been keeping me here. Writing is fun, right?**

 **Thanks again!**  
 **Feel free to stop and leave a review!**

 **Bear~!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13!**

 **So, I'm thinking of starting up another fanfic, but I really want to finish this one first, so maybe I'll keep updating until the summer and then I'll end it? I'm not sure, maybe everything will just fall into place and it'll end in a year or two, maybe even sooner. But I'm really excited to share a whole new story with you guys.**

 **Gratitude:**

 **Thanks a whole lot again, Cid Neha! I'm glad you look forward to other chapters**

 **JustinThePokemonMaster, I guess you'll just have to find out. Thanks ^ ^!**

 **Ahaha, thanks for droppin' by, PolarDawn! I'm really glad you liked my build up! Oh, and I get it, I'll try to make sure Ash is comedy-level dumb.**

 **Done, done ^ ^!**

 **Alright, enough of that, It's time for chapter 13!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon

* * *

 _Chapter 13:_

'Two figures burst from the bushes with savage screeches.'

A sharp scream pierced the air as she was pinned to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Quickly, Paul tightened his grip around the spear in his hand before moving into a fighting stance. Dawn's hand pulled back into a fist before landing a painful sounding hit in the creatures face. He suspected that these two were possibly in the same _'group'_ as the cannibalistic she-devil that tried to take a bite out of him. The second one... Where was the second one? Everything was happening so quickly that it was blurry, his eyes simply could not adjust and focus fast enough.

Then it hit him. Literally.

Long, jagged nails dug their way into his back and feral snarling entered his ears. The second beast, one that seemed to be male, ripped at his hoodie. With a grunt, Paul thrust his arm back and slammed the shaft of the wooden spear into what he thought was it's torso. It let out a deep shriek and fell backwards with a thud, tumbling into the trunk of a large, sturdy tree.

"You..." His eyes flickered back to Dawn who was still struggling with the other feral creature. It had long unkept hair and Paul couldn't tell if it was a female or a very feminine looking boy. Either Dawn was incredibly weak or the tiny figure had immense strength on it's side. Cold air rushed and enveloped his face as he sprinted forward towards the two. Just as he was about to bring down his spear, she let out an enraged scream.

"Fuck you bastards!"

Freezing, Paul's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. She was snapping, just like she had done a couple days ago. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot as she thrashed about, grappling at the savage's neck. Backing away, Paul decided that it would be best not to interfere with her rampage. In just seconds, Dawn had gained the upper-hand, hobbling to her feet dragging the hissing ball of hair with her. Grunting, he could only watch as the petite girl flung it's body into the tree. An audible choking sound burst from it's mouth.

"Why can't you bitches just leave me alone?!" Dawn screeched, kicking repeatedly at the feral creature. High-pitched squealing sounds erupted, almost deafening Paul and distracting him from the other cannibal which was not where he had last seen it. Muttering under his breath he realized that it must be trying to attempt another sneak attack. For wild, inhumane people, they were still quite smart.

More howls came as he turned his attention back to the scene in front of him. Dawn seized the beast by it's tattered coat and smashed it head-first into the tree. It was enough to kill it and Paul thought that he should step in, however she wasn't calm yet. Blood and saliva flying everywhere, the midnight haired girl repeatedly bashed the dying unidentified barbarian into the tree trunk. Her eyes showed no mercy, giving it what looked like one of the most painful deaths one could ever receive.

The feral creature that attacked them was long gone now. She seemed to be continuously beating it's face as if she thought it were still alive. It was like a repeat of the earlier incident, however this time it was bloodier. Red was splattered across the ground and smeared onto the tree. Blood. Blood. Dawn's face was twisted into a sickening grin. A split personality was what Paul thought it was, or maybe it was her true self.

"Get the hell out of here!" White soles of her boots were turned scarlet and her beanie was stained with blood and mud. Who was she even talking to? No, who did she think she was talking to? Certainly not him as she no longer seemed to acknowledge his presence.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, angry and confused. Unconsciously, Paul's body drifted towards Dawn. Dull eyes looked up as he approached, it almost looked terrifying. There was no reflection in her eyes due to the shadows and she had an unreadable look on her face. Sniffing, she wiped blood off her face with her wrist leaving a long, dark smear across it.

"Troublesome woman..." Paul growled, slowly and cautiously making his way closer and closer to her. He was only a couple feet in front of Dawn until a blurred figure lunged and knocked him backwards. A short and startled noise passed through his lips as whatever it was pinned him to a ground. It took him awhile to process it, but finally, he realized that he had completely forgotten about the second one who ran off just minutes ago.

"Shit." He cursed, feeling a sharp, excruciating pain in his lower arm. Straining to take a look from where he struggled, Paul let out a frustrated grunt as the creature clawed and ripped at his healing wound. More scarlet liquid burst from his bite wound as it was forcibly reopened, he let out a howl of pain. His limbs shot out in a flurry to stop the cause of the feeling he was getting.

Paul's attention was quickly turned from the creature on top of him when a loud, ear-deafening scream sounded out once more. Eyes burning, his vision flickered over to where Dawn crouched, tearing and hitting at her skull. That girl... She was going completely crazy. At this rate it was going to be a repeat of the last incident. However this time, it didn't seem like anyone would almost magically come to his rescue. He could only help himself. There's still hope... At least, that's what Paul thought.

Long, bony fingers wrapped around his throat. A sick feeling arose in his stomach as his eyes made contact with the disgusting former man on top of him. Pressure... An inhumane amount seemed to violently squeeze at his throat. Burning. The iron grip felt as if a million needles were being injected and twisted into his neck. Was this how he was going to die? Would Reggie want this for him? The easy way out? No. He must be alive for a reason, right? Feeling a sudden desire for life coursing through his veins, Paul began thrashing around even more wildly than before. His spear. Where was his spear? Swiftly, he made a quick scan of his surroundings.

Crimson tainted the earth and the trees all around him. Everything was fuzzy and blurry, Paul could just barely make things out as he wrestled. Dawn leaning against a tree behind a bashed in corpse, it seemed as if she were fighting a mental battle with herself. What else? Gagging as a cherry color rushed to his face, he shifted a little bit before dropping back onto the ground.

Pain. Agony. This time it felt as if a dagger was beginning to burrow it's way into his back. His eyes suddenly widened with shock and realization.

"Damn." He laughed just barely, feeling more and more of his breath escape. Paul let a couple tears slip out as his vision became even more blurry. It was a miracle enough to him that he hadn't fainted or died yet. With his remaining strength he reached underneath his back with his good arm. Fumbling, his fingers soon found the shaft of the spear which he had rolled onto after a struggle with the man.

Although he felt too weak to fight back anymore. Was he going to die _now_? Even with the weapon in his hands, he was helpless. Everything burned and felt heavy. Was his life seeping away by the seconds? Paul's enraged bellow became louder as he registered what was happening.

The feral man seemed to be doing this slowly just to make him suffer. He could sense it in those bloodshot green eyes and the ugly scowl that crossed it's face. Those fingers that grasped at his throat, they were making sure not to add too much pressure nor too little pressure. It also seemed to be avoiding his pressure points the best it could too.

Slowly. Slowly Paul could feel his vision growing fuzzier and darker by the minute. Prepared to accept fate, he stopped flashing and began to close his eyes.

Unbelievable. He, who forced his Pokemon into strength was dying because he himself was weak.

"Fate, just kill me now."

* * *

"Hey, Leaf?"

"Hm?" The smaller girl turned her head and looked at May. They had been walking for what seemed like hours back to camp. Although, they could've gotten back faster if they simply sped up their walking, the two decided to take their sweet time.

"You know that brunette guy?" Fiddling with her sling, May slowly and gently shifted her broken arm. She was still a little skeptical as to whether it would get infected or not. And if it healed the wrong way then they'd have to break it once more. May shivered at the thought before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"'Sorry, what'd you say?" Leaves and twigs crunched while mud made suction sounds as they strolled through the woods. At the moment, neither one felt the need to rush back as they had completely lost their appetites... Or at least, that's what May kept telling herself. She felt the urge to eat large portions of food like she had usually done before the crash. But of course, everyone was already suspicious of each other enough and May didn't feel like fighting over food. Especially after what had happened earlier with Drew. That weed-ass.

"Yeah, I know Gary, why?" Leaf repeated with a small yawn. May could have sworn that a disgusted look crossed her face along with a faint blush. However it might just be from the cold wind blowing. It was getting colder and colder each day and the fact that she was wearing shorts wasn't helping. Eyeing Leaf's dark, green knee-length skirt, the coordinator shivered. How could she walk around in that? That girl and Dawn were simply confusing.

"He's sort of cute, you know?" May walked forward, getting distracted once more by a bird that flew into a tree a couple yards in front of them. Silence. She looked at Leaf with a confused look, she had a slightly irritated expression on her face.

"We're stranded on an island and you're thinking about how _cute_ that womanizer is?" Leaf's fists tightened.

"Hmm... I guess so. Is he taken?" Swinging her good arm back and forth, a slight smirk appeared on May's face.

Snap. The other brunette stopped walking.

"Leaf?" May stiffened slightly. Had she pushed her a little too far? "It was just a joke, you know?" Nervously, she shuffled her feet, coming to a halt a few feet away.

"How can you guys simply sit around thinking about romance? We're fine now, but who knows when we'll be on the ground dying?" Leaf averted her eyes from May's before taking a deep breath and beginning to walk again. She brushed past the taller girl looking straight ahead. "I'm sorry, that was too serious, wasn't it?" Forcing a grin, Leaf laughed.

"No, I get the idea..." Tension seemed to be building up in the air around them. Letting out a low, short sigh, May began walking after her. They walked in utter silence once more. Creatures above made chirping sounds which made her question whether or not there were Pokemon on the island. Maybe they'd find bird Pokemon that could fly them home. Pokemon...

"Holy crap!" She screamed. Leaf whirled around to face her, startled. May patted herself down, she had been wearing a fanny pack when the plane had gone down. But it wasn't there anymore. Had it fallen off? Her Pokemon, everyone else's Pokemon. There's no way those pokèballs could have been destroyed in a fire.

"What's the matter?!" Placing her hand on her chest, Leaf took several breaths. "Jeez, you scared me."

"The plane stopped burning like yesterday or something, right?"

"Y-yeah, I think so, why?"

"Pokemon, Leaf, Pokemon!" May roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her back and forth excitedly.

"Oh! I get it! You want to rummage through the remains of the plane?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" She screamed in her face before taking off through the woods and towards camp.

"M-may, wait up!" Leaf stumbled before rushing after the coordinator.

Their light, quick footsteps sounded out as light patters. The edge of the woods was in sight and the scents of smoke returned to May's nose. Completely forgetting about the earlier incident with Drew, hope sparked within her. How long had they been running? It seemed like forever as her legs seemed to be slightly aching.

With force, May pushed her way through the dense bushes, forgetting about the small path already cleared out. Leaf followed behind her, panting slightly as three figures stared at them with surprised looks on their faces. One of them, who May recognized to be the ginger was talking with Ash until their conversation had been interrupted. Then there was Drew. That bastard.

"Hello!" She shouted her greeting to everyone, gasping for air.

"Hello?" The ginger responded with confusion.

"My name is May, nice to meet you! Now I have something to do, so bye!" May spoke quickly before dashing off and down the beach in the direction of the plane.

"Misty!" She shouted her name after May. With her good arm, she waved, not looking back as she ran.

"I'm sorry about her." Leaf apologized to Misty before plopping down on the log next to her and Ash. "I'm Leaf." Keeping her introduction short, she yawned and rested her head on in her hands.

"It's fine, I guess." A smile crept onto the fiery ginger's face. It was almost like it was radiating confidence, although Leaf was a bit too exhausted to comment on it. "My name's Misty."

"Leaf, what did you talk about with her?"

A dull voice directed Leaf's attention away from the girl. Almost instantly, her face darkened as she looked up at Drew. Leaf wasn't necessarily the type of person to be mean-spirited, but something about him was irking her off.

"Nothing in particular." Huffing, she turned her head to look out at the sea. At times like these, she just wanted to talk to Red. Since her father was usually the one to calm her down after an argument with her mother or anyone else, he was the closest bet. A shiver ran through her body as she realized how stuck-up she must've sounded. Especially when Drew had only asked a question.

"Where did May run off too?" Ash questioned, shoving a little bit of fish into his mouth. The fish that Leaf had caught and Drew finished cooking.

"The crash site." Leaf replied with a lighter and more friendlier tone.

* * *

 **Well, this concludes chapter 13!**

 **I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this story updated. A lot has been going on, haha.**

 **I guess I really don't have much to say so here:**

 **Will Paul die?**

 **Does Dawn have a split personality?**

 **Will May find anything in the rubbles of the plane?**

 **I don't think my last section had a very good cliffhanger, but I think I did a pretty nice job on the first part.**

 **So, yeah, until next time!**

 **Feel free to drop by and leave a review, tell me how the story has been so far!**  
 **Thanks lots!**

 **~Bear**


	14. Chapter 14

**Look, it's chapter 14!**

 **I'm not sure if I'm writing enough about certain characters.**

 **If you've got any characters you'd like to read more about, leave a review and I'll write more from their POV. Maybe even create a little scenario for them, yes?**

 **Anyways, my comments/gratitude:**

 **Thanks again to JustinThePokemonMaster and miss ASSASSIN MASTER for dropping by to read and review c: I'm glad I have support, thanks for reading!**

 **Alpha The Loyalist Reader, I'm really grateful for your advice and I hope to hear you again. Thanks for reading, I'll start my second story soon c:!**

 **Thanks for reading, the new chapter is here, cid neha! And yeah, sure, I'll be your friend i guess xD.**

 **That's all I have right now. I don't really have much else to say, so let's go!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 14:_

'Fate, just kill me now.'

It should've been over. He should've passed out before being eaten alive right then and there. However something was fueling his willpower. Pain rippled through his body until, for some reason, the pressure around his neck went slack. Vision hazy, he stopped his breathing and held his eyes slightly shut, leaving enough space between his eye lids to see.

Just above him was the shadow of the feral man. It had probably assumed that he was dead, as Paul could feel the man sink it's teeth into his right hand. He bit his lower lip, giving everything he had to hold in a screech rising in his throat. Tightening his grip around the spear beneath him, he slowly began to pull it out from under his back.

 _Sshck._

'Shit.' Paul froze as the spear slightly ripped across the ground causing the sound to erupt into the air. The savage made a inhumane growl that sounded more like a snarl before releasing it's jaws from around his hand. It looked upwards and straight into Paul's eyes with light confusion plastered across it's face. He could feel the fingers closing around his throat again. Eyes shut, Paul began to wildly thrash around, startling the creature on top of him. Although, because his arm injury had been violently pried open, his burning muscles were incredibly weak.

Wouldn't it be easier to just give up now? Why was he even fighting in the first place? Weren't they all just going to die here when winter came along? No, if winter came along? It took every ounce of the group's strength to survive for just four days. What made him think that they would survive a few more months? Dying would be the quickest way out. Even if Reggie would be alone for the rest of his life, he could probably make do with finding a girlfriend and getting married. As much as Paul hated to admit it, Reggie would probably make a really good father... Or mother. But he was hopeless. Paul knew that he had little to no chances of finding love with the way he acted. And it was too much energy to change himself for one person. He'd be better off dead.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it _now_!" Paul choked. However his actions seemed to be clashing with his words as he found himself unconsciously fighting back, with his good arm.

The last thing Paul had expected was for Dawn to regain her sanity. Or maybe insanity. Her shrill shriek was what made him snap his eyes open. If he let himself die here than the group's forces would drop. Who knows how many more of these 'things' there were. Of course, this was nothing like the zombie apocalypses he used to read about, but insane, cannibalistic people were just as dangerous.

"Die." He muttered silently, pulling the spear out from underneath him and slamming it into the man's head. It screamed in what Paul deemed as shock and pain, falling backwards onto the ground. Which surprised Paul as the man seemed to be full grown and taller than him. The plum headed boy floundered about before jabbing the carved out spear-head into the moist earth beside him. With a huff, he hauled himself up with his right arm, bringing his wounded left hand and arm to his chest. Blood soaked into his hoodie and the pain was almost unbearable.

As he moved to stand up, another snarl came from the direction of the feral man. Looking up, Paul's eyes settled on Dawn, who had came up from behind the man and tackled him. She was now sitting on his back, eyes narrowed. Paul winced, either it was from the pain of his arm and hand gushing blood hitting him again or that he was afraid she would savagely rip the creature apart.

"I got em', Paul!"

That smile. It was almost horrifying and yet it somehow brought warmth to the cold atmosphere. Shaking the thoughts and trying to clear his head, Paul lumbered over to where she straddled the man. He hissed and clawed at the ground in front of him, leaving long, deep marks in the soil as Paul stood just inches away from his reach.

"Returning the pain." Paul grumbled in a low voice. Dawn's smile grew smaller and softer as he twisted his spear into the man's hand. It wailed and howled in pain before Paul used his remaining strength in his arm. With a sickening crack and quiet thud, he skewered the savage's head.

Silence. It was silent for about five minutes until Dawn got off of the man's corpse and stumbled up to Paul. He knelt, grasping the shaft of the spear and letting his bleeding arm droop by his side. Pain. Too much pain. Yet for some reason, he didn't care. At least, not anymore. Reggie would be very disappointed with him, he knew that. His hands... With them he had taken the life of another. Paul didn't exactly know how to feel about that. It's not like he would get arrested for it. Even so, it wasn't something he'd do over and over again.

"Take off your hood." She interrupted his train of thoughts. Paul grunted before obeying, wincing as he had to pull his arm through the sleeve to take it off. The shirt he wore underneath was just as dirty with blood and mud as his hoodie was. Feminine hands folded his hood before wrapping it around his arm.

"Thanks..." He muttered, quietly, twitching as she moved part of the thick fabric over his hand. The worry that one of his arteries had been severed still circled through him. It hurt a lot, although he didn't want to be one to complain as he usually called people out on that. Paul could feel the warm dampness pressing into his flesh as the hoodie soaked up his arm.

"We should get back and do something about that." Dawn kneeled next to him. "Can you stand?"

In response, he gave a curt nod before rising to his feet. Yeah. This girl definitely had some sort of split personality lurking deep within her. And it seemed that it only leaked through when she was in fear. Hopefully she wouldn't act like that if something or someone made her mad. Everyone would end up dead in their sleep if that were the case.

Unconsciously, Paul stepped closer to Dawn who was also getting up and onto her feet. She looked up at him with slight confusion. The blood that tainted her light skin and clothing, the blood that smeared across her wrist and mud that caked her boots. No matter how horrifying it seemed, it felt somehow comforting. He mentally smacked himself. Was this just some sort of coping mechanism he had? To want to cling to the closest thing there?

There was a reason he was fighting. There was a reason he wanted to stay alive. And there was a reason why he wanted to protect the group.

All of his strength and hope. Everything.

Wordlessly, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around her smaller frame.

Was all.

For her.

* * *

Faster. Faster.

Her makeshift splint swinging back and forth, May pumped her arms as fast as she could. It seemed that she had loads of stamina that she hadn't used in the last few days. Which was disappointing as she loved to run. Ahead was the large mound of burnt scrap metal that was once referred to as an aircraft. The plane seemed to be smoking but aside from that, the once raging fire was reduced to small flames trying to melt away the remaining metal.

Slowing herself to a walking pace, she crept towards the plane. She had no fear of coming across corpses as they were most likely all burnt or eaten away. Different parts of the said aircraft were flung everywhere. There were some in the water sticking up and out of the ground, those in which were just barely visible. And others which were openly laying about on the sands of the beach. May moved to what looked like the remains of the main structure.

It had been completely split apart so the interior of it would be easy to enter. Stepping up onto a large hunk of metal partially buried in the sand, May scanned her surroundings. Looking down, she realized the she was standing on the engine nacelle. Hopping off, she decided to take a closer look around.

"Hey!" Her head shot upwards and looked in the direction of the voice. She found herself staring as the person came into sight. May's straight mouth curved downwards and into a frown.

"Oh. Hello, weed-ass."

"I see you're feeling better." Drew snapped sarcastically, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. His face seemed to be slightly covered with ash and his clothes looked incredibly sandy. What did he do, roll around like a dog?

"So, why are _you_ here?" Eyes narrowed, she found herself in an intense staring contest with the boy. He flicked his hair before smoothing it back with his right hand.

"Wow, Maple, I know I'm sexy, but staring at me won't undress me." Drew grinned and commented cockily.

"And why the hell would I think about things like _that_?" May's eye twitched before she turned to the side and pretended to throw up.

"Anyways, apparently I have to accompany you on your little search for Pokemon. They were skeptical as to whether they wanted to leave me alone with you, but Misty said it might be good for repairing our relationship. Oh, and I think you know that I won't try anything." He shrugged before his grin disappeared into a more serious look.  
"Why would you believe anything that she says? She's probably been awake for like, what? Less than two hours? What would she know about our situation?" May growled, turning around and rummaging through the sand around the plane. Something cold and hard lightly touched her hands as she began to dig it out of the beach. However, it turned out it was just a piece of useless glass.

"Well, she seemed smarter than you. Even if she is a bit hot-headed when it comes to Ash, she's still a valuable member of the group." Drew replied, getting down on his hands and knees to help her look. "Did you bring a Pokemon onto the plane?"

"Yeah, my Glaceon. It was in my fanny pack, but it's probably burned away by now. Though, there's still a good chance that the Pokèball survived." Standing up, she stepped into the destroyed interior of the plane and took a look around. Several structures of the seats were still intact, however the cushioning and fabric had been burned to ashes. Her hands fumbled through the rubbles of the crash site. She managed to pull out several different things, charred fabric, metal, and glass. Nothing essential to living. The charred fabric would probably disintegrate right away as it seemed extremely bitter and fragile in her hands.

"Hey, dumbass, look at this!" The chartreuse haired boy shouted to her. He crouched beside one of the seat structures and brushed something away with his hands. May walked towards him to get a closer look at what he had discovered. Her eyes widened as she saw what he had found.

"Catch."

A very familiar red and white ball was tossed her way. She stumbled a little bit before catching it in the nook of her arm which was held to her chest. May let her broken arm set on the ground as she moved to sit down.

"T-this is-!" Trailing off, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yep." Drew nodded, smiling and giving a hair flick. "I'm totally awesome, you should thank me."

"Y-yeah! Thank you so much!" May held the icy cold capsule to her cheek. "Glaceon!" Lifting it up to the air, she pressed the button to maximize it. Closing her eyes, she waited for that wonderful sound of a Pokemon being released into the open.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 is done!**  
 **-**

 **And I think that this was one of my more favorable questions yet!**

 **I managed to sneak a little Ikarishipping in there, but you'll probably get really mad at me next chapter, haha.**

 **Red and Lucas have disappeared and Gary is in a coma.**

 **Paul and Dawn are having a moment and May and Drew have made a discovery.**

 **What else lies ahead for the group?**

 **Until next time,**

 **Feel free to leave a little review, I'd appreciate it!**

 **~Bear**


	15. Chapter 15

**My 15th chapter c:!**  
 **I'm having a SUPER amount of fun writing my story and I intend to continue it as long as possible!**  
 **Maybe I include too much romance, action, or drama, but whatever it is, if you've had enough of it, please feel free to tell me. I assure you that I can come up with some way to fix it!**

 **Gratitude:**  
 **-**

 **Thanks a whole lot, PolarDawn! I really enjoy reading your critiques and sometimes I just can't help but smile at them. Lucas can go suck a truck. But unfortunately, I have to have him in here for a VERY important part of the Ikarishipping in this story. Conflict happens ;-; And I'm glad that what you are reading is unique ^-^**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing again, Cid Neha. I suppose that you'll just have to see about Glaceon.**

 **Hello again, JustinThePokemonMaster, thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope that your curiosity will always be piqued and that you'll continue to enjoy this story ^ ^**

 **As for Miss ASSASSIN MASTER, I appreciate the time you took to read and review, I'm glad that you liked my cliffhanger! As promised, I've updated ^ ^!**

 **So, that's the end of that.**

 **Alright, let's go!:**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 15:_

 _'"Glaceon!" Lifting it up to the air, she pressed the button to maximize it. Closing her eyes, she waited for that wonderful sound of a Pokemon being released into the open.'_

Silence.

Opening one eye in confusion, she lowered her arm, inspecting it. Could it be broken? Maybe it was someone else's Pokemon. No. Either way, something would have been released.

"I think it's empty." Drew murmured, lowering his voice in disappointment. His fists clenched in frustration as he flopped down onto the sand next to a pile of even more scrap metal lying about. May's breath hitched as she felt her strong grip on the pokèball diminish. With a short, soft rustle of the sand, it fell out of her hands. Letting out an irritated groan, May plopped down next to Drew, just inches away from the glistening red ball.

Her vision blurred just a little bit as she bit her lip and scowled. Pulling her knees to her chest, May wrapped her arm around them and rested her split on top. Lowering her head, she gazed out into nothing. There was nothing. Nothing in that ball. No hope for her or for anyone else.

"Maple.." Drew muttered. She could feel his stare burning into her sides as she remain silent, slightly turning her head away. The gentle sounds of the whistling wind and the waves coated the atmosphere. He did not utter a single word for fear that he might anger her even more. A mysterious bird Pokemon-like shriek sounded out. However it was a pitch lower and it sounded nothing of what he had heard before. Every so often, he would catch some sort of noise sounding out from the sky. Which he found both intriguing and terrifying at the same time.

After several long minutes in thought, peace, and silence, he decided that it might do both some good to chat. Drew opened his mouth to say something before closing it awkwardly again. He had no idea what to talk about or what she liked. If he tried anything than they'd only end up arguing. And after today, he extremely doubted that she would want to do something like that after discovering that the creature which would've helped them survive is most likely dead or something like that. In fact, what would happen if a Pokemon were to faint and remain without treatment for several days? But what if the pokèball was destroyed too? It would add to their troubles.

Slowly, he inched towards the red and white ball, almost in fear as if he were trying not to ' _awaken_ ' the ' _beast_ '. Warm, rough yet somewhat smooth sand spilled over his hands as he crawled over. Although it was bright and sunny, it was still pretty cold out. At least, that's what he had just discovered. Drew flinched as cold wind smacked him straight in the face, which was shocking as he had been in front of the hot, blazing fire for hours.

 _Clang._

He winced as his foot just happened to kick what seemed like a fairly long strip of metal across the ground. ' _Shit._ ' His eyes screamed as May began to stir from where she sat. Quickly falling backwards onto his bottom, he held his hands up in front of his face as she struck him with an icy glare. However, it didn't last long as she lifted her head and turned her body to face him.

"Hey, look I was trying to get a look at your Glaceo-"

"Shut the fuck up!" May grabbed fists full of sand and hurled it towards him, handful after handful. "There's nothing there! Some useless bitch was carrying around an unused pokèball!" She shouted at him.

"W-whoa! It's not my fault, and how would _you_ know? So what if it isn't your Glaceon?! Maybe the Pokemon inside simply rejected you!" Drew yelled back, scooting backwards while shielding his face and hair. His feet kicked sand straight back into her face as he struggled to defend himself against her 'attack'.

"R-rejected me?! What kind of Pokemon would reject me!? You're just saying that, besides even if there was a Pokemon than it'd probably be utterly useless and we wouldn't be able to level it up!" May shrieked, grappling for something to chuck at him. Her hands found hot metal, which had been sitting out in the sun with them, heating up. Ignoring the pain pulsing through her one good hand, with all her strength she chucked it straight at him without looking in a fit of rage.

"Ow! What the hell, you psychotic gorilla woman?! Shouldn't you be grateful if we even get _anything_ out of that dumb ball?!" He bellowed back, rubbing his aching leg which hurt more from the impact rather than the heat. Drew was very much tempted to take the ball and walk straight back without her, however if he did that, then the others would think poorly of him. And he was certain that he already aggravated them all enough after the earlier incident with May.

"We're all going to die here, why should we even bother living?!" She spat.

"My god, you're _just_ like Paul! Except you know what's the difference between you and him? Unlike you, he actually tries to live like everyone else, even if he knows that there's most likely no hope for us! Besides, it's only been _four_ days! Four mother-fucking days, May!" Reaching past her with speed, Drew wrapped his hand around the pokèball and pulled it to himself, holding it to his chest.

"We don't even know where we are, Drew, what makes you think anyone else does?!" She screamed, making several attempts to pry the pokèball out of his firm grasp.

"There's always hope!" He shouted angrily, standing up and brushing the sand off of his pants and shoving the ball into his pockets. Drew roughly shoved her away as she reached for it once more. "I'm going to head back. Follow behind."

"Whatever." May frowned, getting up and moving after him. She personally had no idea why she was following after him after their fairly cold-hearted argument. Although, the fact that he could have simply said that he was returning to camp without telling her to come with meant that he must've cared at least a little bit. Thus surprising her a little on the inside as she had never met someone who was willing to put up with her this much. Not even her parents nor brother would have survived this long with her. In fact, they might've abandoned her completely. However, maybe it was just her imagination running and exaggerating. Something so little, two simple words.

She could feel her frustration and fears slowly disintegrating.

Moving her feet quietly after the green haired boy, she stared directly down at her feet. Step after step, they crunched upon contact with the sand. Since when had things like this become as entertaining as the things she used to do at home? Was it always like this? Soon enough, May felt a complete mood swing switching on. The brunette was curious as to why she suddenly felt this way, it was as if all of her negative emotions had dissolved completely for the time being. Soon enough, she found herself hopping along in between the mounds of fluffy, white sand and flat, dark, damp sand, wetted by the ocean waters. Drew came to an abrupt halt as he caught May's actions out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing...?" He grumbled, glaring at her.

"None of your concern." She hissed, stopped and strutting straight past him without another word. An exasperated sigh entered her ears from behind as she made her way to the dark gray smoke rising and floating up into the air above. Several familiar figures were in sight, although the one called Lucas had joined them once again. This piqued her interest as she had just now noticed that he had disappeared up until now. Although maybe he was there from the start, but in her flurry to get to the plane crash she hadn't noticed it.

 _Hope._

That's right. They hadn't completely and thoroughly searched the crash site yet, right? There's still a good possibility that they could salvage unbroken pokèballs. A sudden change in heart and mind ran through her, but she still had no idea why. Could it be that Drew _actually_ put up a good argument? May unconsciously shook her head. ' _No. No way in hell.'_

* * *

 _'For her'_

 _"_ Paul?" Dawn shifted in his tight grip, confusion coating her voice. Lucas wasn't here. He wasn't here now. Nothing could possibly bother them now. The feeling of her much smaller body in his arms was one that he had never felt before. Had physical contact always been this nice? Warm? Pacifying? Wordlessly, he shut his eyes and rested his chin atop her head. Although, that didn't stop the seemingly endless squirming that overtook her as seconds passed.

"W-wait just a second!"

"Shit!" A low cry escaped his throat. It was white. Pain searing through his jaw, Paul opened his eyes to try and comprehend what was currently going on. Aside from the blood splattered everywhere around them and the two bodies slumped on the ground and against the tree, everything seemed to be alright. What had just happened? Why did the warmth leave him? Glaring upwards, he gently rubbed his jaw with his good hand.

"I-I'm loyal to Lucas!" Dawn had scooted backwards, as far away from him as possible. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were wide. The afternoon sun gazed down and through the shadows of the trees at them. It brought out the beautiful navy blue color of her hair and seemed to sparkle on her pale bloodied skin. Lucas. So painful it was. A tainted yet gorgeous angel was sitting right in front of him and yet she was so far out of reach.

"I see..." Paul murmured silently, laughing light-heartedly. Was it ignorance or stupidity that blinded him from the reality that was the truth? All this time, he had believed that he had the best chance of becoming her love interest, even if he hated to admit it. Which was mostly because he was the first and only one to have seen her split-personality. No. He knew that Dawn had a very close relationship with Lucas from the moment he sat down across from them on the plane. It was his own stubbornness that stood in between his imagination and reality. Reggie himself had always laughed and told him how stubborn he could be. He never listened, brushing off his comments and advice as if they were mere specks of dust. Would he have felt this way if he had listened to what Reggie had to say? Maybe he shouldn't have walked out of the room when Reggie tried to discuss love with him.

"Uhm... If you didn't already know, Lucas and I are going out. I'm sorry if this is news to you." A sincere apology spilled out of her mouth. That's the worst. It was the last thing that Paul wanted to hear. Why should she apologize for something that was completely out of her control? It wasn't her fault that he refused to believe it even after seeing so many obvious clues. Pain. This internal pain that pulsed through him and made him feel cold and hollow seemed to override the burning sensation that came from his wounded arm and hand. The gusts of cold, icy air the blew past them, it felt as if they were passing straight through him. Like thin, delicate shards of ice were being shot through his head and his chest. Had it gotten even colder out? He wanted very badly to scream, shout, and hurt her in rage, but of course, not even someone like Paul could do such a thing. No matter who it was or what they had done.

"No, I didn't intend to make a move on you, I... I thought you were someone else for a second." On instinct, succeeding in holding an emotionless, firm voice, Paul made a quick excuse for his actions. When exactly did he fall for her? He was most certain that the feeling he had for her was love. Or maybe he was only feeling this way out of desperation and this was his coping mechanism for the current situation he and his group were in. Either way, it hurt. Dying would probably feel much better than this, but of course, he must remain strong, for crying or speaking in a weak tone was for children. So really, when did he fall in love? More importantly, why did he fall in love?

"O-oh! That's good, I guess. Who were you thinking about?" The innocence in her question and response burrowed it's way under his skin and was slowly becoming a burden. Good? How was it good? Was it good because she wouldn't have to worry about any drama? Clutching his spear, he brought it away from his body and jabbed it with all his strength in his good arm into the ground. Surely this action would give off a confident and distant vibe that he so desperately needed at the moment.

"None of your concern." Paul spat bitterly, keeping his guard high. Using the spear for support, he stood up, pressing his wounded arm to his stomach. Pain that he had once felt in his arm and hand were now gone. Maybe his emotions were preventing him from noticing it? Either way, it would be good to get it looked at soon.

"We're going back." Ripping the spear out of the earth, he shouldered his way past her, heading back the way they came. As soon as there was a good amount of distance in between them, he heard the rustling of clothing as Dawn stood up. She dared not say a single word as the situation was awkward enough. Paul did not look back, certain that she would follow him and if not, arrive back at camp at some point.

A familiar silence rippled through the dry air as they walked. It had been several hours since they had last taken off on a short journey to explore the woods and so much had already happened. He couldn't wait to get away from her and talk with someone like Drew, Leaf, Red, or even Ash. As long as he could escape the foul mood he was currently in.

His fists and aching jaw clenched as he remembered that Lucas would be there. And Dawn would surely be all over him, rushing to his side as soon as they got back. For once, he wished Reggie was here next to him. There to pester him with his stupid logic and life-lessons and there to tease him about going soft. Or even get mad and scold him for the way he treated his Pokemon. With a million different memories of his family and Reggie running through his mind, Paul pressed forward through the woods in silence.

Everything was just...

So...

Irritating.

* * *

 **Yey~! Chapter 15 is finished!**

 **So, I'm not sure if I did a nice job showing Paul's feelings and emotions. In fact, they may have been all over the place. Usually I'm good at writing that type of stuff, but maybe I just wasn't in the right state of mind, haha.**

 **I'm sorry, fellow Ikarishippers, but I'm one of those screwed up people who love to temporarily break up ships for unrequited love stories ;~;**

 **Now, that doesn't mean I don't have anything in store for Lucas... Oh, hell, is he really as innocent as I make him seem? I guess we won't know until the next chapter.**

 **I didn't get a chance to write about it, but I assure you that next chapter will have a fairly important event related to Gary and Red.**

 **Maybe it will explain why Red had disappeared for the entire morning?**

 **And did Lucas really go to check up on Gary?**

 **If not, then what is Lucas doing right now?**

 **Oh, and did I include too much romance this chapter? If so, just let me know and I'll dial it down a little bit and get back to the main plot, I promise c: Ehehe**

 **My last little thought that I figured you all should think about:**

 **The mysterious pokèball. What's the deal with that? What do you think? Is it broken, is it empty, is the Pokemon there but simply rejected May, are there Pokemon on this island?**

 **Predictions. Predictions.**

 **Uheuhuehue.**

 **Feel free to drop by and leave a review! I'd love to hear what you think c:**

 **Until next chapter!,**

 **~Bear**


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh? I'm sorry, what was that? Oh yeah-**

 **Chapter 16 is here ^-^!**

 **I hope you all enjoy my cliffhangers, uhuehuehue!**

 **Gratitude:**

 **ElectroPhoenix, I guess you'll just have to read and find out. Although I'll just let you know, if that's what you're expecting, you might be a little disappointed xD.**

 **JustinThePokemonMaster, thanks for reading and reviewing again! Your prediction is great, but you'll just have to see Uhuehuehue.**

 **Cid Neha, Yep! What would the world be like without cliffhangers?**

 **Alpha The Loyalist, I'm glad to see you again! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you'll enjoy more of Gary and Leaf's upcoming scenes ^-^!**

 **Mr Squirtle6, Thanks for reading! I'm glad you think I portrayed Paul nicely and I hope you'll stick around for future chapters c:**

 **Banana Bomb, thank you for reading and bothering to critique my fanfiction. I'm glad you have suggestions to help make my story better and I will consider adding some in ^.^**

 **MarronChestnut, thanks lots! I'm really happy to have gotten another 'loyal reader'! I really enjoy reading reviews like those. There'll be a whole lot more Pokeshipping in upcoming chapters! And maybe there will be some more romance ^ ^! Red won't necessarily have his own chapter dedicated to him, but he will have a BIG scene in the later chapters! Thanks again!**

 **Lastly, PolarDawn, yes, Lucas is a beautiful angel that Paul falls in love with... No, just kidding, haha. I'm glad that my writing could touch you in some way c: More thanks for your critiques and opinions and yes, very lucky guess. I will bring the survival aspect back around, I assure you, but I need sometime to get everything planned and weighed out c:**

 **Longer and more serious chapter coming your way, be prepared!**

 **Onto the story.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

Yo, I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 16:_

"It's getting cold out, isn't it?" Drew nervously blurted out, trying to break the awkward silence between the group members. The smacking noises which came from Ash and Misty's corner were getting louder. Looking up, Drew let out a small exasperated sigh as Ash selfishly shoved more fish in his mouth.

"Ash! Get some self-control, will you? There won't be enough to go around at this rate!" Misty scolded, face twisted in an aggravated expression.

"Oops, sorry Mist." He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and stuffing the last bit of fish into his mouth. Drew leaned towards the fire and began rubbing his hands together to create a bit more heat. It seemed a lot warmer when had wandered about the woods that night with Paul than it was now. Bright, warm light that had been given to them all during the morning and afternoon was now gone as night approached. There seemed to be only hours until it set completely. Not that Drew knew exactly, as he had lost track of exact time after the second day.

"I-I suppose we'll need to start rationing o-out the food. Soon it'll be too cold to wade and s-spear fish from the ocean." Leaf shifted in her seat on the log next to a silent Paul. He hadn't spoken a single word since arriving back at camp with Dawn. Both had been covered in blood and mud which shocked all of them. Even after getting them cleaned up, he still wouldn't speak, even alone with Drew. Turning back to Leaf as she finished speaking, Drew took note of the way she stuttered, trying her best to speak clearly. Was she shy, afraid, or was it just a habit?

"I guess that's a wise idea. Oh- and there's still the mango tree somewhere near the lake." A familiar voice spoke up. It was much more confident and somewhat sturdier than Leaf's voice. Flickering his eyes to the log closest to the ocean, he and everyone else set their eyes on May. "We should probably go harvest some soon." She continued.

"B-but everyone's together and I think it would be even wiser to wait for Red's directions.." Leaf spoke even faster than she did before. Drew noticed that she had leaned back and to the side so she was slightly behind Paul. Seeing the two, they looked either like siblings with drastically different hair colors or lovers. As the thought passed through his head, Drew let out an abrupt laugh.

"You disagree?" Her eyebrows furrowed together and he could feel almost everyone's eyes on him now. Paul seemed somewhat irritated with his random outburst and Dawn looked confused as her cuddle-session with Lucas was interrupted.

"N-not at all!" The green haired boy laughed, smoothing his hair back with a hand when it fell out of place. Sitting up, he gave a hair flick before opening his mouth to explain himself. "I was just thinking of something completely impossible."

"Anyways!" Misty's eyes narrowed and grew a slightly bitter look. "Who is this guy, and when did he get here?" She frowned, sticking a finger straight at Lucas. "Ah, and anymore suggestions?"

"This is Lucas, he was checking on Gary earlier. You know, the guy who was sleeping against the tree?" Dawn replied with a soft, sweet smile on her face. Drew watched out of the corner of his eye as Paul averted his gaze, directing it towards the woods. Was there some drama going on? The thought of some juicy gossip and drama made him grin just a bit.

"No he wasn't." Misty growled in a low voice, digging her nails into the bark of the log. Her sharp glare met Dawn's softer gaze and Lucas' hard stare. Ash stopped eating and looked up and between the two girls and Lucas. His big smile twitched and fell into a straight, unreadable face.

"Misty, cut it out." He nudged her gently with his elbow. It was the first time Drew had seen Ash without some air-headed comment or action. Which was definitely a shocker, as he was sure Ash's attention span was incredibly low.

"I'm not doing anything!" She snapped in response, elbowing him back roughly. Ash winced in pain before backing down and striking up a side conversation with May. Most likely to escape the awkward situation that was rising up from the dirt. He noticed the sudden change in atmosphere around Ash and May. In just seconds, their stiff conversation turned into a light and relaxed chatter. "I'm just saying that Lucas wasn't there when I woke up, which was almost two hours ago."

"I see... If Lucas just got here, than he must have been doing something." Drew quickly caught onto what Misty was trying to explain. A small wave of realization hitting him as he considered the possibilities. How would Lucas respond? Did he have a believable alibi? Oh, how curiosity overtook Drew. However, the rest of them had either stern or skeptical looks on their faces.

"W-what are you implying?" Dawn questioned, a defensive tone coating her voice. By now her soft, friendly-looking face had become almost as stiff and emotionless as Paul's. Just as Misty opened her mouth to speak, the least expected person interrupted.

"You're so ignorant. Haven't you noticed? The guy who looks like a player isn't there, Lucas must have done something." A low, dull voice grumbled, flashing an accusing look straight at Lucas.

"What are you talking about?!" Lucas scowled, tightening his fists and grip around Dawn's shoulders. "I didn't do anything to him!"

" _Of course_ you didn't. You walk out, the boy disappears and then you come back about an hour later? Yeah, it _doesn't_ sound suspicious." Sarcasm dripped from Paul's voice. Although, Drew had to admit, Paul had a pretty good reason for thinking that Lucas did something to the guy in the coma.

"Paul!" Dawn glared at him as he continued his wordless war with Lucas. The two of them were staring angrily at the each other and by the looks of it, were going to get physical if someone didn't intercept. But then again, Lucas didn't seem like the type of time to murder, much less punch someone.

"Hey now, let's not get spicy." Drew laughed, trying to brighten up the mood. Intense stare-downs were occurring and awkward conversations were commencing. The only three people not exactly caring or paying attention were Ash, May, and surprisingly, Misty, even though she technically started the situation.

"I'm sorry I took so much time to get back here." With the snapping and crackling to twigs and leaves, a _very_ familiar figure emerged from the woods, just yards down the beach. A small shriek sounded out, startling Paul. Leaf shot upwards and sprinted towards the man without a word. To Drew, it was almost like a soldier coming home and visiting his daughter. The petite girl rushed up and wrapped her arms around Red's waist, which made him realize how tall the man actually was.

"W-where did you go? You j-just disappeared without telling a-anyone! I-I haven't seen you since this morning!" Her slightly angry cries were faint, yet clear to his ears. It seemed as if even with Red, she hadn't gotten over her shyness. Bickering and glares that once passed between Dawn, Lucas, and Paul ceased almost immediately after Red showed up. Drew strained to pick up on their conversation as they walked back towards the campfire.

"Oh?" After a couple of seconds, his brain processed the third figure, which was following behind the two. He soon recognized the third figure to be the boy with the brown hair and player-like attire. Leaf, plopping down with Red next to Paul again, stared straight up at the man for answers. There was a small moment of silence and anticipation as the teenagers awaited his response. Red seemed to be searching for the right words, because he sat in thought the entire time.

"Ah! I've got it." Clearing his throat, he pointed a finger over at the brunette boy who was adjusting his slightly singed, messed up hair. "Sitting over there by Misty is Gary Oak. I went out to follow some mysterious tracks in the ground, and I just happened to come across Gary. I guess he wandered off after overcoming his coma." Red explained, stretching a little.

"And that took up the entire morning?" Drew inquired, giving their leader a small smile.

"No, no, we talked a little and then tried to follow the prints, but they sort of disappeared after about an hour or so of tracking." Gary interrupted their conversation. He turned to stare at the brunette, getting a good look at him. Drew noticed the relaxed look overtaking his face, which was surprising as he figured that the other boy would panic like everyone else did. His laid-back personality was almost exactly like Red's.

"Getting back to the plan, it's getting darker out so we should stay grouped up for the night. However we're going to need to do something about our lack of food situation." Misty yawned before flashing Ash an angry glare. He said nothing in response, childishly sticking his tongue out at the fuming ginger.

"Ah, so that's the problem. Well, tomorrow Ash will be assigned double the work to make up for it." Red smiled, examining Paul's wounded flesh. "May, could you please bring that makeshift tarp over here?"

"What?" She looked around in confusion before spotting the tarp. It was a long sheet of large, green leaves woven together and tied up around four small trees. Approaching the edge of the woods where it lay, she peered into it. May's eyes widened as she saw the amount of water collected. "The whole thing?"

"No, actually I'd just like a handful, please." The man replied, trying to rub off more of the blood with Paul's hoodie. Nodding, May scooped up a handful of water and carefully made her way to where he, Paul, and Leaf sat.

"When did you make a bigger tarp?" Dawn stared in awe and excitement to see that they had more water available then she thought.

"Just before it drizzled a couple days back." Red flashed her a smile.

"Sprinkle it over his hand and arm, we're going to clean it." He murmured. Drew winced, the wounds looked very painful. Paul's lower arm was torn open and his hand had a bite mark in it. Although it was cleaned up, his arm seemed to be a waterfall of blood pouring onto the sand. For a second, his eyes locked with Paul's dull, dark orbs before the violet haired boy fell backwards, fainting.

"Whoa! Paul!" Drew stood up, worry crossing his face. The attention of everyone there was turned towards Paul who was now on Red's back. Blood still oozed from his wound and dripped as he began to carry him to the big oak.

"It's alright, he just fainted from blood loss." Red called over his shoulder casually. His composure was something that sort of irritated Drew, but he knew that without it, everything would be chaos. "Drew, Leaf, I'd like you to come with me." He added before disappearing into the bushes, heading towards the tree.

Standing up, Drew wordlessly followed Leaf into the grassy clearing in the woods. There laid Paul, getting his wounds cleaned up with water and a piece of fabric which Red had ripped from his hoodie. Although he seemed relaxed, there was visible tension on Red's face as he tried to clot up the blood.

"Leaf, go with Drew to find some mallow leaves and burdock root. You know what those are, right?" He stood up, leaving Paul with the cloth tied around his arm. Dark red soaked through, dirtying it and causing his eyebrows to knit together.

"I may, but I'm not sure I understand completely..." She murmured, shuffling her feet nervously. It was clear that she had never experienced a situation like this, much less help out. Red obviously picked up on this because he laughed before drawing several images in a patch of dirt. The first was a image of several flowers and the next was a picture of their leaves up close. Another was a picture of some spiky looking clumps of circles and the final picture was that of the bulb's roots. They were sloppily drawn, but Drew understood the main concept of what they were.

"Mallow are flowers with five pink and white petals. They're edible, but I only need the leaves and burdock roots come from gray and pinkish bulbs which are fairly large. I only need the roots. You'll know it when you see it." Picking up several rocks, he walked back out to the camp, leaving the two standing there trying to process what he had just told them. From a distance, Drew watched him dump the rocks on the coals of the fire before digging a hole in the sand. Red lifted his hands from the hole and let what looked like seawater trickle through his fingers.

"We should go b-before he loses even more b-blood than he already has." Leaf muttered jabbing him in the gut with a finger to get his attention.

"Alright." He flicked his hair before jogging after her. She walked quickly yet quietly, not even breaking dry leaves as she made her way through the trees. If he hadn't been there when Red lectured them on what the herbs he needed were, he'd probably think that she knew exactly where to go to find them. However, no matter how confident she looked in what direction they turned, Drew could still spot the confusion in her eyes.

"Hey...Leaf?" Drew was now walking beside her, slightly shivering. The air was cold and dry, it was that sort of season. Her eyes flickered over to him as they passed a fallen tree which was coated in moss. She nodded as if trying to tell him that he had her attention without speaking.

"What's up with you, Red, and Gary?" Shoving his hands in his pockets. For some odd reason everyone's relationships and troubles interested him greatly. Maybe it was because he had nothing to do during the day when a task wasn't assigned. It seemed that Leaf's relationship with Red was extremely close and positive. The only thing that concerned him was that they'd met only four days ago, almost five. Although it wasn't odd that everyone was beginning to develop friendships and such, she acted as if Red was a family member. He also found her flashing Gary some dirty looks for whatever reason.

"Red's my friend and Gary's a low-life." Leaf replied bluntly. Her shyness had disappeared for that split second, confusing him greatly. Life these days was like a puzzle to Drew. Things were all over the place and hardly made sense anymore. Random scenes of blood and gore were popping up and whenever Paul came back from a 'trip' he and Dawn would be covered in blood, scrapes, and bruises. According to Paul there were strange cannibals making their appearances on the island too. On top of that, the girls didn't seem to make any sense either. One moment they'd be perfectly happy and fine then the next they'd be angry or crying claiming that it was all your fault. Unconsciously, he let out a snort and watched as she rolled her eyes and looked forward.

"How is Gary a 'low-life'? He seems pretty cool." Drew questioned, looking around to see if there were any visible plants in the area. Was she developing a different speech? If he wasn't mistaken, he remembered Leaf to speak in a more casual tone and form.

"He is just... very forgetful and ignorant." She quietly explained, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself.

"How?"

"W-we have known each other for a _very_ long time and he acts as if he's never met me before!" Her fists clenched by her side. Had her stuttering stopped? Maybe she could only speak clearly with one person at a time. That would make sense. "I found burdock!" She angrily stomped over and ripped the bulbs out of the earth, pulling up roots.

"Hey, calm down." He moved, kneeling beside her. Leaf fumed as she separated the burdock roots from the plant. It was getting darker out and they would need to find the last plant quickly so that Paul's wound wouldn't get infected. Hopefully it had clotted up by now. Turning, she flashed him a sharp, icy look. Girls really were difficult. Sighing, he stood up and offered her a hand as she finished picking up the roots. She took it and let him pull her upwards and onto her feet. However something caught her eye and she seemed to be staring at it, trying to identify it. Drew followed her eyes to a plant sticking up out of the ground. It was a large, blob-shaped clump of white and yellow flowers which emerged from the stem.

Back in his hometown his parents had researched medicine. Although he had almost never actually bothered to pay attention to their lectures and lessons, Drew recognized the plant almost immediately. There were several things he did know about medicinal herbs due to his own curiosity, although he'd never admit it. When he was about seven he had been foolishly playing with a knife in the kitchen. He had no idea why it interested him, but either way, it was in the past. The knife had fallen out of his hands and straight onto his foot, cutting it. As he cried, his parents had decided to test a fairly simple poultice on it. After wrapping it, the excessive blood had stopped several hours later. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't a very deep cut, but it seemed like it was back then.

"Common yarrow. Great for clotting blood." Drew leaned forward and plucked some out, gently placing it within the right pocket of his pants. He then took the roots from her hand and stuffed them in his left pocket. "Should we go find those mallow leaves?" The chartreuse haired boy suggested, beginning to walk even deeper into the woods.

"Sure.." She muttered, brushing off her skirt. Darker, darker only an hour and a half had passed and yet the sky was already a murky gray, almost black, color. There was plenty of yarrow growing in the area, but no mallow. At the very least they could bring back burdock and possibly white oak bark as he knew that the bark could serve as a replacement when boiled.

"Hey, Leaf?" Drew spoke up after several minutes of walking in silence. It seemed as if every walk or trip through the woods or down the beach had quiet moments like those. Although he was certain that Leaf preferred it silent because she turned and gave him a slightly irritated look, obviously doing her best to keep it from showing too much. "Why did you suddenly change your speech?"

"I did not make changes to my speech at all. I have always spoken this way, it's just, since my mother and the public aren't here, I chose to speak casually like everyone else." Her response was clear and probably more formal than even someone like Drew could ever be.

"Did you come from a prestigious family?" He watched as she exhaled, slowing down her fast walking pace to match his. This girl was nothing like May, who usually stormed ahead trying to compete with him. However, in a way, he enjoyed competing with May over every little thing, it was fun and took up his free time so that he wouldn't think too much about home.

"Yeah, the Green blood-line is supposed to be high-class, but I like wearing normal clothes." Her speech changed once more, sounding more normal for a teenage girl. With a hand, she pointed to her sky-blue tank top and tugged gently on her red skirt as if to show him how casual and informal they looked.

"That reminds me, you were speaking just fine and you didn't seem shy with Paul and Dawn before my falling out with May. What's up with you now?"

"I'm not really sure... I just got a very relaxed vibe from Dawn and Paul isn't really that scary if you imagine him smiling." She replied, fiddling with a blade of grass.

"Paul? Smiling? You've got a large imagination."

"Yeah, but anyways, people in my family are disciplined in the way they talk. "

"Why do you have to speak formally?" Drew murmured, kneeling down for a split second and checking a pink flower sticking out of the ground. Deciding that it wasn't what he was looking for, he moved to catch up to her. A foul look crossed her face as soon as he said that.

"T-that's not for y-you to know!" Leaf grumbled, stuttering again. Great. He was back at step one with her. Which displeased him as she was most likely the only girl he could talk freely to without the fear of setting her off. Even if he could talk to Dawn, Lucas or Paul would be right there, glaring up a storm. And Misty and May were definitely in the category of his fears. He hadn't known the ginger for very long, her glares and bitter responses to Ash's actions were fairly vicious but May was another story.

The rest of their walk was silent after that, Leaf had pried some white oak bark off of a tree and he had luckily found patches and patches of horsetail out in yet another grassy clearing in the middle of the woods. The horsetail would also help stimulate clotting and speed up the healing process when boiled. For once in his life, Drew found that his parents' textbooks which were usually left out on the living room table were helpful. There was a sense of pride rising up within him after finding a place to show off a bit of knowledge.

"It's been three hours, I think we should head back." Drew tapped Leaf on the shoulder. She looked at him quickly before scanning the area one last time. Sprinting over to a tree, she slowly and cautiously removed a stalk of nettle from the ground before rushing back to him and nodding. Nettle, the plant which could be used to cleanse infected wounds or heal congestion and stomach aches. Even if Paul's wound was fairly bad, he highly doubted that it would get infected. However, Drew, not in the mood to fight or argue with anyone, much less Leaf, let it go without a comment. They had moved pretty far into the woods and by the time they'd arrive back, Drew was sure that everyone would be asleep. Hopefully Paul hadn't lost too much blood or their little 'herbal search party' would be for nothing.

"Drew..?" She murmured quietly, holding the nettle carefully away from her body and making sure not to touch their stinging hairs.

"Hm?"

"I h-hate to complain, but I'm r-really hungry.." He hadn't noticed before, but it took her saying that to make him realize how hungry he was. His thoughts had made his attention stray away to the point where he hadn't eaten since early morning. Up until now they'd been drinking the rain which collected in the large leaves which usually satisfied their hunger for a short period of time. Now that they knew Red had completed a big tarp, they were surely set for a little bit until it ran out. They'd have to do a very careful job of rationing it all out, at least until they find a way to transport the lake water from the woods to the beach to boil it. Way back on the first day of his consciousness when Paul suggested that they boil the seawater, he had been incredibly incorrect as saltwater will not become filtered after being boiled. However the lake water would work pretty well.

"Well, maybe Red and the others set aside some food for us." He smiled gently. Her polite manner of speech was one that not even May could match. In fact, May would probably get frustrated and flail about, smacking him several times.

"B-but Ash ate t-the last of the fish..."

"Red will come up with something like he usually does. In fact, the dude is a great fisher, right? Maybe he caught something and is almost done cooking it." Drew tried to keep the mood bright. With their heads down they'd see nothing but the dust and with their heads up they'd see nothing but the black sky glittered with stars. Although the sky was pretty enough, if they had their heads forward, then they'd have more hope which was essential to their lifestyle these days. Hope. He was certain that everyone had it and everyone clung to it. Most everyone thought about it too, he was confident in that thought.

"I can hear the ocean.." Leaf picked up the pace, her once silent footsteps came across as light pattering sounds as she ran. Drew hurried after her, a bit more confused than usual as he couldn't hear a single thing. But her hearing must be exceptionally well because he began to hear it after a couple of minutes. Faster, faster. He seemed to be falling behind now, which was yet another surprise as Drew hadn't pictured her to be a very athletic person.

Breaking through the thickets, he flew out of the dark, shadowy woods right after Leaf. As he stopped to catch his breath, he took sight of the beautiful sunset. Yellow, red, white, brown, and pink, a stunning mixture of light and dark resting atop the ocean waters. Fluffy, white clouds tinted with a soft violet purple swirled above and beside the shining sun. Beauty. It had been a very long time since he had seen something so calming and so gorgeous.

"W-we... Should go watch t-this with the others..." Leaf punched him gently in the shoulder before heading in the direction of the smoke, just down the beach.

"Yeah." Drew hesitated before nodding. He had remembered last year's Grand Festival where May emerged victorious. She had held that over his head all the way up until New Year when she laughed and promised she was done boasting for now. Although, he felt as if she hadn't had the right to use the gloating rights as both Dawn and another boy named Kenny had come very close to defeating her in the first and second round. Truth be told, he had known Dawn's name from the start, although she didn't seem to recognize him. This wasn't very surprising as every time he made an attempt to talk to her after each contest May would distract him.

During the contest May had used a Blaziken and a Wartortle. The Wartortle shot streams of water up into the air while the Blaziken used flare blitz. He still remembered the balls of fire shot in a circle around the fountain of water, only to be later cooled with an ice beam before melting to the ground below. With that combo, it created a truly amazing move. Compared to the sunset to his right as he followed through the sand after Leaf, the move looked almost exactly like it. Bright and beautiful. Something like that would be difficult for even someone as talented as him to recreate. Unconsciously, he gave a little hair flick, puffing out his chest.

"They're at it again.." The brunette girl beside him let out a sigh. They were now several feet in front of the camp fire and another cuddle session was occurring between Dawn and Lucas. Ash looked up and waved his usual wave, flailing his arms about until they noticed him and greeted him back. Red was no where in sight, probably at the oak tree with Paul. Meanwhile Misty was carving a bowl out of what looked like an old, beaten up turtle shell. Had she discovered that on shore? He'd have to ask her about that later.

"There you are!" May stomped over to him and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt. Anger filled her eyes as she tightened her grip, glaring straight into his eyes. The sunset behind made her seem very attractive as the light illuminated half of her face. A pretty pinkish-yellow hue coated half of her hair and face while the shadows were a cool blue. Interesting. However his calm thoughts were shattered as she began shaking him wildly, her lips were moving but he couldn't hear anything. It was if the entire world and it's sound were muted. That is, until she slapped him across the face.

"Ow!" He winced, his once calm face stiffening into a annoyed expression.

"You took way too long! Paul's still as bloody as hell and now he's got a fever! Even Red's beginning to panic because he can't go collect herbs or send anyone else out in the dark!" She released his shirt from her fist, adjusting her sling. He noticed her wince slightly as she shifted it and was about to say something about it. However a violent shove to his back startled him, he coughed before looking back and raising an eyebrow towards her. "Go!" Her jaw clenched.

Wordlessly, he walked back into the woods and towards the grassy clearing where the large oak sat. There lay Paul, he never thought he'd see the day where the seemingly unbreakable would look so pitiful. His face was a light pink and his breathing was slightly shallow. Leaf was already there next to Red, looking to Drew for the herbs. Fumbling through his pockets for a minute, he finally pulled out the herbs and handed them to Red. The man stood up quickly, herbs and roots in hand before rushing out towards the campfire. Drew followed after him, leaving Leaf to try and clean Paul's arm again and cool his forehead down with water.

"Red?" He questioned silently, watching him pull several medium-sized rocks out of the coals of the fire with a stick.

"I'm going to boil these, there's a rock on the cutting log, take the yarrow and mash it into a poultice, please." Red replied quickly with a low yet friendly voice. With his foot, he kicked the rocks one by one into the hole he had watched him dig earlier. Almost immediately, steam rose from the hole, probably due to the seawater. One by one, he tossed white oak bark and burdock root into the hole.

Nodding, he took the yarrow, walking over to the cutting log. It was rough and looked worn out, obviously he had picked it up in the woods. However the top part was smooth, stripped of it's bark and a milky pale brown color.

"Hey Drew, is Paul okay?" Ash smiled lightly, twiddling his thumbs.

"I don't know, but if not, he will be soon." Drew assured, flicking his hair. Setting down the yarrow, he picked up a light gray rock about the size of his hand. The rock seemed to fit perfectly within the palm of his hand. Eyes flickering around the long log, he noticed the stone filet knife and what looked like several pieces of long grass. Someone had obviously tried to practice knotting things as there were multiple sticks with the same grass tied sloppily around them.

"That's great!" He could feel Ash's eyes on him as he rammed the rock against the white and yellow yarrow. It was a bit chunky and odd looking at first, but soon it was shaped into a more paste-like form. The squishy poultice looked a little bit funny as Drew hadn't made medicine like this in years. With a sigh, he took a leaf and scraped it on before carrying it out to Paul. Making a poultice was a lot easier and faster than he had thought. Looking back, he saw that Red was still waiting for the herbs to simmer. He had several large leaves piled onto each other, possibly to transport the water. Drew tried to think hard back to what his parents had lectured him on. There were some sort of chemicals in the herbs however he wasn't sure if boiling would actually draw them out or not.

Shrugging, he ignored the conversing going on around the fire and began to rub the poultice into Paul's arm and hand. He tried to ignore the random spasms and now heavy breathing which came from Paul as he applied it. What did it feel like? Or maybe was he asleep and something in his dream was affecting him. No matter how grumpy or pessimistic Paul could be, he still wanted to be his friend. Taking off his coat, Drew laid it across him, leaving only his head and wounded arm sticking out. Even if he had a fever, being out in the cold away from the fire wouldn't help even if it did cool him down a little more than water would. Leaf looked at him with curiosity as he continued to rub the remains of the poultice into his hand. Blood which once flowed had begun to stop as he pressed the gray hoodie onto the paste and bite wounds. Little patches of deep scarlet blood soaked through, but otherwise the yarrow had done a nice job clotting.

"It's ready." Red's slightly happier sounding tone attracted Drew's attention. By now the sun had completely set leaving only the light illumination of the fire. Slowly, the tall man came carefully stepping into the grassy clearing, large leaves in hand. As suspected, he was transporting liquids with either the boiled herbs or the now chemical-filled water. It took several minutes for him to safely carry the liquid without it spilling over, but as soon as the final shuffle was made, Leaf had removed the cloth from Paul's arm and hand. Trembling from the muscle strain, Red crouched down and with great care, poured the once hot, now warm water over and into his wounds. Combined with the paste and blood, it looked extremely disgusting, however Drew couldn't bring himself to look away.

Crickets sounded out and Paul's small grunts and short periods of thrashing accompanied them. The herbal water seemed to cause a greater reaction than the poultice. Leaf's head turned away and she was now seemingly staring into space as Paul suddenly cried out in pain. Maybe his fever was adding to the pain and he hadn't seen him eat anything at all so he must have a very painful stomach ache too. This guy seemed to get hurt more than anyone in the group. Although it may be because he's put himself out there in the unexplored areas more than anyone else, even more than Red.

"We'll just have to sit and wait for the night, I'll take a trip to the lake tomorrow and see if we can find something to take care of his fever. Until then, could you store some of the extra herbs away?" After wrapping Paul's arm with the cloth of the hoodie, Red stood up and handed him another handful of yarrow, a few pieces of burdock root, and with another large leaf wrapped around the lower half, Leaf's full stalk of nettle.

"Alright." Drew took the supplies in his arms, wincing as part of the bare nettle scraped against his arm which was now exposed as he had forgotten his coat was with Paul. Looking over at Paul one last time, he reached up with one hand and snagged a long, thick, musty green leaf from a tree branch dipping down below. He took a deep breath before walking out towards the group. Ash's gluttonous behavior, Misty and May's tempers, and Lucas and Dawn's love-bird behavior were beginning to get on his nerves. If he walked out without mentally preparing himself, he'd probably go mad.

Low murmurs of conversations floating around the camp-site greeted him and the warmth of the fire helped. His stiff and aching muscles felt more relaxed as a wave of heat enveloped his body and shut out the freezing cold atmosphere he had felt earlier. Taking a seat next to May, he began to wrap up the medical supplies in the leaves.

"Having fun playing doctor with Paul and Red?" She teased lightly, taking notice of him after wrapping up a short conversation with Dawn.

"Playing? Someone like me does not 'play' doctor. In fact, I'd say I'm good enough to be one." Drew snorted, tying the stems of the leaves together in a knot. Tapping it a couple times, he decided that it was packed well and set it off to the side.

"Has Paul's health gotten better?" May held her sides, desperate for warmth. Leaning inwards towards the fire, Drew couldn't help but notice that the cloth wrapped around her broken arm in the wood sling was beginning to tear. It looked scratched up and dirty, however it may have just been because of the lighting.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Drew murmured, running his fingers through his hair.

"Paul is Mr. Purple?" A friendly grin formed on Gary's face. He hadn't exactly gotten a proper introduction from Paul or Drew but seemed oddly trusting. The trust he had for the group was displayed openly on his face.

"Yep, he's our dark cloud of rage. Behold, for _the_ Drew Hayden has appeared before you." Drew began laughing dramatically and cockily until May kicked him in the shins. "Damn."

"Gary, _the sexy_ , Oak. You can love me all you want but I don't swing that way." He replied, jokingly leaning over and stroking the chartreuse haired boy's arm.

"Well _this_ is amusing." May stabbed a small, thin twig into the ground before looking up and smiling. Lucas laughed a little, giving Dawn a squeeze around the shoulders. Her smile was warm and tender. Drew's eyes narrowed at the sight of this. He was certain that Paul's behavior was more off than usual because of her, after all, every time those two come back from spending time alone he's utterly silent. Paul won't say much, will stare off into space, and flash dirty looks at Lucas. As observant as he was, Drew was still slightly confused as to what their relationship was. Drama. The most entertaining thing on earth. A small chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Paul's not a ' _dark cloud of rage_ '." Dawn pulled slightly away from Lucas before flashing Drew an icy look. A wave of shock overtook him for a moment as he had never received such a look from Dawn. Usually it was a look of disappointment, humor, excitement, etc. Weren't her icy looks supposed to be reserved for Paul?

"Whatever." Drew recovered and waved his hand with a grin.

"What are you talking about? He's a living storm cloud! I swear, I bet he has some sort of disability that prevents him from having feelings." Lucas broke out laughing. The blue haired girl turned, gaze as hard as stone and mouth curved into a frown.

"Lucas, that was mean" Dawn shouldered his arm off of her, glaring straight into his eyes. From Drew's prospective they looked like an old bickering couple. Lucas' eyes were warm and seemed to be unaffected by the several sets of eyes on them. He simply kept up a soft expression on his face and continued to ramble.

"Come on, Dawn, you know it's true. In fact, he's so dark and unpredictable that I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up and tried to kill us all."

"Hey!" Drew barked, standing up. His fists clenched at his side and something within himself burned and begged for him to let it out. Paul, even though he may not think so, was his friend. Nobody could possibly understand how the other boy felt, in fact, he was certain that Paul must've had some emotion. It was impossible for one to not have feelings.

"Drew, sit down." He felt a tug on his shirt. Looking down, he met May's cool blue eyes which were soft yet sharp. They seemed to hold some sort of warning to them. Ash and Misty had stopped their short arguing over food and water supplies. Everyone's attention was on both Lucas and Drew as he plopped back down next to May. Gary stared with a speechless expression on his face, but the fact that he had no idea what was going on was only to be expected. After all, Gary hadn't exactly known Paul for as long as everyone else had.

"Look, it's not my fault that his personality is like that. If you ask me, he acts like a total attention whore. I think we all know that anyone _that_ anti-social must be cutting himself at night, have you seen his wounds? Did something really assault him or did he do that himself? He seriously needs t-"

"Lucas!" Dawn snapped, drawing back her fist. She caught him off guard, slamming her fist into his forehead.

"Fuck! What the hell, Dawn?!" He shouted, falling backwards off the log and clutching his face in his hands. Dawn had surprised everyone as she was the last person that even Drew expected to shut Lucas up. Peering closer, Drew realized that the light in her eyes was gone and her eyes looked dull. Something seemed just a little off about her. However, just as he was about to ask, the reflection in her eyes returned.

"That was uncalled for." She glared with visible disgust in her cobalt eyes. Lucas stared directly up at her, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. It was now bruising over leaving an ugly purple-blue blotch in the center of his forehead. Nobody, not even Gary or Misty dared utter a single word. Probably a wise idea as Dawn's fury seemed to be a terrifying thing. He could see it on the expression on Lucas' face.

"Dawn.." May moved to speak but trailed off, not exactly knowing what to say or do. Misty shuffled and nervously kicked the sand beneath her feet and Ash smiled trying to pretend everything was normal. Gary, on the other hand, was helping Lucas up much to Dawn's displeasure. _'Bros before hoes'_ would probably be his reason. Drew looked between Lucas and Dawn, trying to make observations on their expressions, nervous habits, and emotions. It was the usual wide eyes, shock, anger, and slight fear. Nothing new.

"W-wait, Dawn, come back, I didn't mean it! I love you!" Lucas reached towards her, but she slapped it away. Eyes burning with ferocity and another emotion Drew could not define, Dawn smacked him even harder as he made an attempt to wrap his arm around her. He saw Misty and Ash out of the corner of his eye, she seemed to be whispering something into his ear. Nodding, he put on a wide, friendly grin before standing up and walking around the campfire towards Dawn. Tapping her shoulder lightly he made an attempt to direct her attention away from the current situation.

"Hey, Daw-"

"I'm going to bed." She turned and smiled at Drew and everyone aside from Lucas. Her much lighter and upbeat tone was a bit creepy, but Drew decided to let it go unnoticed. Just before heading through the bushes on her way to the clearing she stopped, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.

"Good night.."

* * *

 **IT'S DONE. CHAPTER 16 AHAHHAHA**

 **I'M GOING INSANE**

 **This was longer than my usual 2,000-3,000 word chapters but it was a bit more serious than others.**

 **I finally got to the survival point, but I suppose this chapter was indirectly centered around Paul.**

 **Looks like Dawn got a little pissed off.**

 **Do you think she'll continue her relationship with Lucas? Why did she get so angry?**

 **What made Lucas have a change in heart and personality?**

 **Oh the drama, oh the questions.**

 **Will Ash cause food-related problems for the group?**

 **Will the cannibals show up again?**

 **What is Leaf's reasoning for such prestigious behavior? And why might she be so shy?**

 **Finally, JUST. WHO. IS. RED?**  
 **Thanks!**

 **Feel free to leave a review, I'd love to know what you think!**  
 **Until next time,**

 **~Bear**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 is right here c:!**  
 **I decided that I'll try and post a chapter every week on either saturday or sunday. Although I may get too excited and post a second one.**

 **Sound good? Great!**  
 **Anyways, I've been juggling a lot of things. However most of them are stuff I don't even really have to do. School, art, music, anime c:**

 **Same old things as last week and the week before that.**

 **Gratitude/Comments:**

 **Yep, you were the first reviewer for chapter 16, haha. Alpha The Loyalist, thanks for reading c: I'm glad you thought that the last chapter was well written. To be honest, I thought I had overdid it but I guess not ^-^! I guess I'll try to explain this the best I can. Red is 6'6" but he's more on the lanky side than large. Leaf is about 5'4 but she doesn't just reach his waist. Now that I put some deeper thought into it, her arms would have probably ended up around his mid torso. So I made a small mistake when I was writing it. Anyways, I thought that I should include the other character's heights too. Paul would be the third tallest as 6'0" since Gary is 6'2". So hey, what do you know? Paul isn't Dawn's "Tall hunky beast" in this fanfic xD Drew is 5'9", not that much shorter than Paul or Gary and you can say that Lucas and Ash are the babies both being about 5'8". As for the girls, Dawn is only a little bit shorter than Leaf as she's 5'3". Misty and May are the two who are tall af compared to Dawn c: Misty's actually the same height as Drew with the height of 5'9" and May is 5'7". So their heights are pretty close, but you know, that's how it is ^ ^'. So yeah, thanks for your review!**

 **To Electrophoenix , uhuehuehue, yes, I'm glad it raised suspicions. **

**Mr Squirtle6, thanks for reading C:! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. There will be more backstories revealed but I'm trying to be a bit subtle about including them. Lucas is a jerk, but I'm afraid you'll just have to see how things turn out.**

 **Cid Neha , thank you for reading and reviewing once more ^-^! Dawn can be a little insensitive, but don't we all have moments like that? She'll clean up her act soon, I promise you ^ ^**

 **PolarDawn , thanks for dropping by to read! I'm glad you thought improvement was made on the last chapter and I REALLY like your suggestion. It's interesting and I think I'll include that soon! The chapters will get longer, but they may be sort of lacking compared the to chapter 16. I suppose it's because I went all out for that one with medical research, methods, etc. I'm sort of curious as to what happened to your friend last summer, but I won't pry. You'll just have to see, a little hint for the future, Dawn will experience a little bit of trouble involving Lucas, Drew, and Paul. How I love drama, but I assure you that I'll try to stay on the survival aspect as much as possible. C:  
**

 **MarronChestnut, thanks for reading! Leaf and Drew's conversations were fun to write, so I'm glad you liked it! And I might as well tell you that a little story about Gary just moving away and forgetting would be too cheesy as it's been used multiple times in stories already. Uhuehue, trust me, I'll come up with something great. Lucas is a very concealed character. Maybe I am trying to manipulate people into hating him, but that really does bring Dawn and Paul together, right? I hope to see you on the next chapter!  
**

 **Banana Bomb , thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad I made Drew seem more realistic and that the character interactions were okay!**

 **Alright, people.**

 **Requested by miss ASSASSIN MASTER I will now clear up all the misunderstandings on people's relationships, 'kay?**

 _ **First up: Dawn**_

 **Is dating Lucas**

 **Trusts/respects Paul**

 **Has a friendship with May**

 **Likes Drew as a friend**

 **Admires Red**

 **Thinks Gary is amusing**

 **Adores Leaf like a sibling**

 **Likes Ash as a friend**

 **Has a small friendship with Misty**

 _ **Paul:**_

 **Envies Lucas and finds him irritating**

 **Loves Dawn**

 **Thinks May is a hot-headed glutton**

 **Thinks Ash is a air-headed glutton**

 **Finds Drew irritating but could never hate him**

 **Has not properly met Gary**

 **Thinks Red is very respectable**

 **Isn't the biggest fan of Misty because of her aggressive and slight know-it-all behavior**

 **Would probably choose to hang around Leaf over any of the other females**

 _ **Gary:**_

 **Often directs sexual or romantic actions/jokes towards Leaf, thinks she's cute/attractive but never 'hot' or 'sexy'**

 **Thinks Drew is pretty rad**

 **Doesn't exactly know Paul**

 **Thinks Dawn is adorable**

 **Doesn't like Lucas yet doesn't hate him either**

 **Likes Red a lot**

 **Does not necessarily have a relationship with Misty or May**

 **Thinks Ash eats a lot but has yet to say anything about it**

 _ **Leaf:**_

 **Absolutely despises Gary's romantic advances and comments towards her**

 **Loves Red as he reminds her of her father**

 **Thinks that Paul isn't exactly a cruel, emotionless jerk and likes him as a friend or older sibling**

 **Likes Dawn for her upbeat personality but envies her as she is the complete opposite of her**

 **Thinks May is very caring and thoughtful**

 **Is slightly afraid of Misty but maintains her friendship with her anyways**

 **Likes Ash as a friend due to his air-headed remarks coming across as intentional humor**

 **Trusts Drew enough to speak normally and more clearly around him**

 **Likes Lucas as a friend but doesn't like it when he says bitchy things**

 _ **May:**_

 **Tends to argue with Drew a lot but doesn't exactly hate him, may in fact have a crush on him**

 **Thinks of Dawn as a close friend**

 **Likes Misty as her personality is about as temperamental and feisty as hers**

 **Gets along with Ash because of their eating habits and slightly clueless behavior**

 **Doesn't hate or like Paul**

 **Thinks Red is a good leader**

 **Despises Lucas for his insensitive comments towards Paul**

 **Thinks of Leaf as a good friend**

 **Sees Gary as an outgoing, bold playboy**

 _ **Drew:**_

 **Thinks May's exterior looks and personality are attractive yet finds her pessimistic side annoying**

 **Sees Paul as a very close friend**

 **Trusts and respects Red**

 **Is a little afraid of Misty's temper**

 **Likes Leaf because she's the opposite of May and give him a breather after an argument with May**

 **Thinks Dawn is good looking and way more feminine than May**

 **Finds Ash to be very funny but sometimes a threat to the group's survival**

 **Dislikes Lucas for his cruel rambling about Paul**

 **Thinks of Gary as a friend already**

 _ **Lucas:**_

 **Is madly in love with Dawn**

 **Has some sort of burning hatred towards Paul**

 **Likes Gary as a friend**

 **Is skeptical of Drew due to his friendship with Paul**

 **Doesn't like May because she seems to be slightly wary of him and Dawn**

 **Dislikes Misty because of her earlier accusations of him doing something to Gary while he was in a coma**

 **Doesn't have any serious relations with Ash**

 **Kind and respectful towards Red, doing whatever the man says**

 **Likes Leaf as a friend because she never voices an opinion against him**

 _ **Ash:**_

 **Literally friends. with. everyone... Except for Paul**

 _ **Misty:**_

 **Had a crush on Ash the moment she met him on the plane, but worries about him and his eating habits affecting the group's survival**

 **Isn't too fond of Paul's attitude**

 **Thinks Dawn makes the mood seem a lot happier**

 **Doesn't have any certain opinion of Gary**

 **Thinks that Drew is very observant and medically essential to the group's survival**

 **Isn't particularly fond of Lucas for going on a rant about Paul's personality**

 **Likes May as a friend already**

 **Finds Red to be very admirable**

 **Envies Leaf for her less flamboyant personality and cute, quiet behavior**

 _ **Red:**_

 **Has a father-daughter relationship with Leaf to help her cope with the situation**

 **Knew from the beginning that Paul wasn't exactly who he looked like**

 **Likes Gary a lot**

 **Worries about Ash and is kind yet strict towards him**

 **Loves Misty's sense of authority**

 **Appreciates May's ability to cooperate without question**

 **Sees Drew a bit as an assistant however appreciates the things he does to contribute**

 **Finds Dawn to be very mysterious yet doesn't question her about it**

 **Doesn't hate Lucas at all, sees him and everyone else in the group as family**

 **~Whew~! Well, that was really long, haha. So, feel free to use the stuff above as reference for the future, uhuehue. I hope this cleared up any confusion with the character relations. I'll just say this now as a reminder, just because a person refers to someone as attractive doesn't mean that they necessarily harbor romantic feelings for them.**

 **Did that make sense? Okay, lets go!**

 **Oh! And I'm just going to say that my chapters will get longer as we go along. Lately I've had a lot more to say and write so don't be surprised if this chapter is as long as the last, haha.**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon c:

* * *

 _Chapter 17:_

"Well, that couldn't have gone worse."

Gary laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He shuffled away from Lucas and back to his seat on the empty log where Paul, Leaf, and Red had sat only hours ago. It was getting late and it seemed that a foul mood was beginning to overtake most of them. Misty had gotten so agitated with Ash and their supply situation that she went from hitting him to ignoring him completely. The one called Drew and the one called May were at each other's throats, arguing. Eyeing Drew just a bit closer, he noticed a circular bulge in the pockets of his pants. It looked about as small as a marble which was suspicious as the shape highly resembled a pokèball.

"Hey..." Gary tried to get his attention but his arguing with May only seemed to get louder and more intense.

"Even someone like _you_ should know that they've probably already given up on us!" May growled, slamming her good fist onto the log she sat upon in frustration.

"How the hell would you know that?! I'm certain that our families won't give on us just like that!" Drew frowned, crossing his arms either in anger or because of the cold temperatures.

"Drew, wake up! It's been four days and we have yet to see a single helicopter! There haven't even been signs of a plane or jet passing by!" She shifted her splint before sending him an icy glare.

"I-it... That doesn't matter! Stop being so pessimistic, why can't you just act _normally_ like everyone else?!"

"Maybe I don't want to act ' _normally'_ because I'm too busy living realistically!"

"Hey!" Raising his voice, Gary interrupted them, clenching his fists. He could feel the angry or confused gazes focusing on him, making him slightly nervous. Fumbling around for the words, he took another glance at Drew's pocket before taking a deep breath and speaking. Lifting his hand, he pointed his finger towards Drew's pocket. "What is that?" Trying to direct their attention away from each other, he directed the stares from him to the circular object in his pocket.

"Hm? Oh, this? It's a pokèball that May and I found." His casual tone irked Gary off a bit, but he decided to simply ignore it. Drew's once intense looking expression turned into a relaxed look with a small amount of excitement detectable as he casually replied. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled the circular object from his pants. From his pocket, he pulled a shiny red and white capsule which set off a great reaction from the group. Red and Leaf were still tending to Paul and getting him cleaned up just a bit more so the atmosphere seemed a bit wild.

"Why didn't you show us sooner?!" Misty spoke up, breaking her long period of silence. Her eyes seemed to blaze almost as much as her hair which was almost glowing due to the fire in front of her. It lit up her face and made her look more threatening than she already was. Drew laughed light-heartedly, squeezing the pokèball and giving her a apologetic smile.

"Oh! Who's Pokemon is in it?" Ash leaned forward, eyes sparkling. His usual goofy grin formed on his face.

"'Dunno, it won't open." Drew shrugged, pressing the capsule button several times. Gary's eyes narrowed as the anticipation for the ball spread and grew among the others. He could see Misty's jaw tighten and Ash's eyes lose their twinkle after several moments of nothing but the crackling fire. The boy with the scarf, Lucas, didn't seem to be interested in any way at all and it was obvious that May and Drew weren't expecting anything big.

"...What won't open..?" A soft, quiet voice broke the delicate silence.

"Oh!"

Shooting up from his seat, Gary rushed over to the petite girl and nearly threw himself onto her. His arms held her tightly as she took a moment to process what was going on before beginning to thrash about wildly. He winced slightly as she kicked him in the shin but refused to let go. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be very uncomfortable with the direct contact.

"Ah, my Leafy! It seems like it's been ages since I've last smothered you with love!" He rubbed his cheek against hers while she applied immense effort to get away from him.

"G-get away from me!" Leaf raised her voice a little but Gary obviously wasn't the type to care. She was small and somewhat lovable, thus reminding him of a certain girl from his hometown. Although he couldn't exactly remember what the girl looked like as it had been years and years since he'd last seen her. Her brown hair looked pretty, illuminated in the light of the fire and her natural scent was a little bit intoxicating, especially with the light scent of smoke. It took Gary back a little, almost every girl who'd thrown themselves at him had usually overwhelmed his nose with perfumes. Although it was quite embarrassing for even him to admit, he had picked up on her scent the day she boarded the plane and sat down next to him. Even though several days had passed without the opportunity to properly bathe, she still smelled the same. Just as he was about to say something suggestive, pain rippled through his ear.

"Shit!" Gary screeched, letting go of Leaf and falling backwards onto the sand. Blood trickled from his right ear and onto the sand, staining it a russet red. A panicked look spread across his face before relaxing as he found his ear to still be perfectly intact. No flesh taken out. Thank god.

"A-answer my q-question!" Her bright, visible blush which once rested on her cheeks vanished as she began to calm down.

"Eesh, Gary, what did she do?" May laughed, clearly forgetting her earlier clashing with Drew. As suspected, girls were that simple. He scowled before sitting up and holding the side of his head.

"She fucking bit me!" For some strange reason, everyone was getting beat up, specifically in the face. His eyes flickered over to Lucas' bruised forehead. It took him a moment to think about it, but afterwards his usual confident smile returned to his face. Looking to Leaf he smirked, wiping away the blood which had dripped from his ear to his neck. "Feisty much?"

Snorting, Leaf stomped over to where Misty and Ash were sitting. Gary frowned a little bit before chuckling, she obviously didn't want to sit next to him or Lucas. She gave Ash a small shove earning an approving smile and nod from Misty before squeezing in between them.

"Anyways, we were just talking about a pokèball May and I found in the remains of the plane." Drew yawned, staring up at the stars in the sky. He followed his eyes to the bright, shining stars which dotted the pitch black sky above. It looked beautiful and almost seemed to distract him from his bloody ear.

"P-pokèball?!" Gary watched as Leaf's face suddenly lit up. Was it hope or excitement displayed across her face? Maybe a mixture of both? Either way, it looked sort of cute which he found odd because usually he'd only ever refer to a girl as 'hot' or 'sexy'. Turning his focus back to Drew he twiddled his thumbs just a bit.

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed, just a little too loud for Leaf as she flinched and scooted more towards Misty. The upbeat, raven-haired boy's smile suddenly faded as he finished speaking. "But it's broken."

"There's a chance a Pokemon is in it but simply rejected the person who calls it. Both May and I have tried but nothing has happened." Drew sighed, holding the pokèball up to the light of the fire. A yellow hue enveloped the shiny sphere capsule and glowed. Gary found himself staring until Lucas burst upwards, walking over and snatching the ball from Drew's hands.

"Hey!" May hissed, sounding a bit more vicious than usual. Most likely because of the things that he had said earlier. Unconsciously nodding as he drew his observations to a conclusion, which was that May had some sort of hatred stored up for Lucas. A genius he was. Was it possible that girls were easier to figure out than he thought they were?

"Chill out, I just want to try something." Lucas responded, reverting to his usual kind, gentle, can-do-nothing-wrong state. Gary narrowed his eyes, peering at the black-haired boy. The boy's friendly smile seemed somewhat suspicious in a way that he just couldn't describe. He could obviously detect the questioning looks that everyone sitting around the campfire was sending him because he laughed a bit before explaining himself. "Maybe the Pokemon will respond to me."

"To you? No way in hell." May rolled her eyes, letting her splint slack and rest on her thigh. Curiosity coursed through Gary as he thought about how she'd broken it. It was the one of the many things Gary was proud of, curiosity. With it, he was able to enjoy the Pokemon research which his grandfather usually forced on him. If it weren't for curiosity, humanity wouldn't have gotten anywhere. It was his key trait.

"Whatever," Lucas rolled his eyes before holding the pokèball out, "Magmortar, present yourself!" A grin formed on his face.

Nothing.

Only the familiar pop, crackle, snap which came from the fire.

"Doofus." Gary muttered with a slight smirk. He slouched, letting his head rest in his hands due to boredom. His grandfather hadn't gotten to the part in his lessons where it showed how to tell if a pokèball is broken or not. There must be something inside it, the only question is how to get it out. Yawning, he watched Lucas shove the pokèball back into Drew's hands before stiffly walking back to the log he was sitting on. Both Misty and May seemed to be muffling their laughters and Drew's expression was practically blank. Looking towards Leaf, he frowned as his gaze settled on her small smile. It looked as if Ash had said something funny which wasn't necessarily bad, but rubbed him the wrong way.

"You brought a Magmortar onto the plane?" Misty looked at him as if there was something wrong with him. "And you had it in your seat with you?"

"Pretty much, Magmortar's my best buddy." Lucas shrugged, eyeing her frown.

"I thought unnecessary cargo was to be shoved in the storage area." She spat, before flashing a small look of regret in her words. Gary suspected that she didn't mean for it to come out as viciously as it sounded. But Lucas obviously took no notice of her expression or tone.

"Say that again, you fucking bitch." Lucas' more friendly nature dissolved into anger. Gary's eye twitched a little. It seemed that without Dawn, he had so self-control over his emotions. Although, he wasn't exactly sure if this guy was mentally stable in the first place. A rustling of clothing rubbing together was heard as Ash stood up, locking eyes with him. His warm chocolate eyes turned stony as he smiled at Lucas.

"Excuse me, but could you not use language like that?"

Ash's formality and horrifyingly normal tone took him back a little. Closing his eyes, Ash held his smile, tilting his head just a bit to the side. From his first impression, Gary had thought that this boy was a moronic child who couldn't stand up for himself. Or maybe it's just that he didn't want to argue with the ginger at all.

"Shut up, dumb ass!" Lucas snarled, keeping his focus on Misty. The fiery ginger showed no signs of regret now. Her light, cerulean-blue eyes were so sharp and cold, Gary shivered. It seemed as if they would be able to pierce through him and cut him like a knife. Lucas' look was just as bad, in fact, seeing someone who played it as friendly for the first couple days so furious was terrifying. Although Gary couldn't help but think that Misty's rage would be even fouler.

"You've got some nerve, acting like that." May grumbled, ready to defend both Misty and Ash. Scarf trailing behind him in the air, Lucas whirled around to face May. His teeth almost seemed to be bared in an aggressive expression. Gary frowned at the boy's actions, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Look, you man-whore, I suggest you shut it before I decide to take action."

"I think we should just forget about the pokèball for now and get some rest." Drew finally spoke up after several minutes of 'shining' the capsule with his shirt. A calm yet hostile gaze was directed towards the other group members. When did he get so mature? Keeping quiet as usual, Gary watched as Lucas snorted before looking away from everyone's eyes. Taking pity on him immediately, he opened his mouth to say something but closed it as May began to talk.

"I suppose there are better things to worry about." May nodded, standing up. Without another word, she disappeared into the shadows, headed straight for the grass clearing.

"Where'd she go?" Ash questioned, still staring after her. Now that he looked a bit closer at him, Gary could see the clear resemblance between both Red and Ash. It was almost as if he was looking at an almost twenty-year-younger version of Red. The only major differences were their personalities and height.

"Probably to bed." Misty snorted, reaching over Leaf and flicking his forehead. Although her hair was a bright ginger color, her once light blue eyes seemed to be darker in the lighting and the opposite of friendly. At least, that's what Gary thought. They began to lose their sharp, cold look after Ash laughed and gave her a sheepish smile. Each of the personalities, habits, and traits piqued Gary's interest. Everyone was different one way or another and they each had a story of their own to tell. But of course, it would be rude to simply go around asking for people's backstories. Sighing, he set his gaze onto the blazing fire.

Warmth spread over his face as he continued to stare. His ear had stopped bleeding, however it wasn't like it bled a whole lot in the first place. A small amount of stinging could still be felt but he shrugged it off, entering his own world. Home. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine himself sitting on the desk at school lively chatting with his friends. What were they doing now? Were they hanging out, going to the movies, picking up girls, and talking without him? The thought made him slightly depressed. Sighing, he opened his eyes and took another look around.

Gary hadn't noticed anyone leave while he was thinking. Conversations were more like soft, mixed up murmurs which couldn't be understood. When he opened his eyes Misty, Lucas, Ash, and Leaf were gone. Drew's returned stare was the next thing to attract his attention. Searching for the right words, Gary began to speak.

"What's up, man?" Clearing all signs of nervousness in his voice, he smiled at Drew. The green-haired boy laughed at his sudden attempt to break the silence and respond to his look.

"Red and I are on watch duty tonight, you can get to the clearing and sleep if you want." Drew rubbed his eyes a little before picking up a long stick and jabbing at the coals of the fire. Sparks of red and gold suddenly flew up and into the air above. Once again, Gary found himself staring intensely at the dazzling specks of light.

"No way, it's super cold! I don't know how those guys can sleep in this weather." The brunette ran his fingers through his hair before standing up and stretching out his limbs. A wave of relief and a somewhat pleased feeling swept through him as he moved his arms and legs. It seemed like forever since he had last gotten up and moved. His joints felt like they were hard and rusted. "Besides, I was in a coma for what Red said was three and a half days."

"It's gotten tough, but at the end of the day, we're all so tired it doesn't matter. Although we may need to find and kill something like a deer or wolf and take it's furs to stay warm." Drew responded with a much lower and heavier voice. Signs of fatigue were easily detectable and rings had formed around his eyes. Was anyone really getting enough sleep? His last sentence caught Gary's attention.

"Wolf? Deer? As in mythology? What are you talking about, aren't those extinct?" Gary's dark, shiny orbs met Drew's lighter, emerald eyes. Was that amusement he saw in the other boy's eyes? Was he the only one who still had no clue as to what was on the island? He had yet to see a single Pokemon so he figured that the island was simply uninhabited. But to think that Drew was implying there were real animals was very intriguing.

"Well, we were eating actual fish earlier so I suppose these are the last of the animals. I don't think you'll find animals anywhere else. Paul and I even found the head of a boar a couple days back."

"T-that's amazing!"

"It's definitely cool, however we'll have to be very careful. According to textbooks, some of the animals are more vicious than a raging Pokemon." His eyes narrowed and seemed almost as if he were analyzing Gary. The excitement disappeared from Gary's eyes as he nodded in understanding and agreement.

"I see... So we'll have to... Eventually kill one to survive?" Gary was never a fan of those who mistreated their Pokemon. And he didn't think that anyone would be, it'd be just sickening. He knew that they would need more food and protection from the harsh weather. But never in his life would he think he'd have to kill a living creature. As a scientist, he was strictly limited to observations by his grandfather as any experiments would lead to potential death of either him or the Pokemon.

"Unless you want to freeze to death." Drew shrugged, directing his gaze from Gary to the sky above. He seemed to have a habit of looking upwards, although it may be because there's nothing better to do.

Gary couldn't bring himself to say anything else. This guy was nothing like his friends back home who's personalities were just like his. Drew's personality seemed to be different in some way he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because he had a smaller ego than Gary himself. No. He saw him arguing with May earlier, only those with pride would bring themselves to argue as childishly as that. For some odd reason he seemed as hard to approach as Paul. Certain that everything would sort itself out, he walked around the fire and began to head towards the ocean shore.

"Where are you going?" Drew's voice seemed a bit wary of him. Right. Here on this island nobody had any trust for anyone. It was either that or Drew didn't like the idea of him going out in the dark.

"I'll be back, I just want to look out at the ocean and the stars. It's a nice combo." Gary stopped and looked over his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. Without waiting for a response, he walked off towards the ocean. The bright moon in the dark sky seemed to send rays of cool-blue sparkling light down on him and the ocean. Rolling waves were soft and almost seamed like a lullaby sang by the sea.

"Don't go out too far and come back quickly!" Drew's voice yelled through the air, just barely audible. Ignoring him, Gary looked around a bit before letting his eyes rest on a silhouette of a figure sitting on the sand close to the sea. He could just barely see from the bluish glow of the outline that whoever was sitting there was female. She seemed to be sitting completely still and simply watching as the tide pulled in and out. As he quietly and carefully approached the figure, he noticed her small figure and long hair. It was far too dark to clearly see the details, but the girl had glistening auburn brown hair.

For a moment he thought that it was May before stepping a bit closer. Gary was now just yards away from where the girl sat and she didn't seem to notice him with her back turned towards him. He was just about to call out the tom-boy's name when she shifted, moving her arms so that they were placed in the sand beside her. She sat with her knees bent and pulled towards her chest. Peering closely, he noticed that neither of her arms had the bulky makeshift cast on them. A wave of realization hit him.

"Leafy? What are you doing out here alone this late at night?"

* * *

"C'mon, Dawn!"

"Stop it, I'm not in the mood right now." She had gotten a couple moments of silence until the others had decided to come back and rest. And that included Lucas. Dawn was furious with the way he had talked about Paul and was considering breaking off her ties with him.

"Look, I'm sorry, let's just settle down and go to bed." Lucas gave her that familiar kind, warm smile before sitting down on the grass beside Ash. The raven haired boy was sprawled out, snoring loudly. For a while now she had been using Lucas to keep her warm during the night. Without him she'd freeze to death in her skirt and sleeveless black shirt. Scowling, she crossed her arms and decided to give him the cold shoulder until he genuinely apologized for the things he'd said.

"You'll just have to cling to Misty or something for tonight." She replied, trying not to let any of her slight regret showing in her voice. It would be a long night but Dawn was definitely not the type of person to give in so easily. After all, even if Paul wasn't awake, she could still somehow prove that she wasn't some weakling hanging back in the protection of the other group members.

"Hey, don't be like that, I love you." Lucas murmured silently, pulling her by her wrist down onto the ground. Dawn shivered, feeling his warm breath on her neck. Feeling something burn up within her, she roughly shoved him away before standing up. A light scarlet color appeared on her face due to embarrassment, anger, and the cold wind.

"Clean up your act and we'll talk." She spat bitterly, speed-walking over to where Paul lay, propped up against the large oak. Beside him sat Red who was constantly checking his wounds for bleeding and signs of healing. Doing her best to ignore Lucas' loud begging for her to come back, she kneeled next to Paul and locked eyes with Red. "He's going to be alright?"

"Of course, I won't let anything happen to him." The man flashed her a brief smile before gently dropping Paul's arm and sitting back, leaning against the tree. Large roots reached out and disappeared into the grass and the tree stood tall and proud. However it wouldn't provide much shelter and soon they'd have to begin building a more suitable shelter. Sitting down on a large, fairly flat root, Dawn began to think about more important things to do when the sun rose.

"How are we going to build a proper shelter without anything to cut wood..?" Her fingers combed through her hair as she awaited his response. Glancing up, she watched as he tilted his head upwards to look at the glistening sky. It was going to be difficult to find resources to make a shelter big enough for ten people to comfortably fit under.

"I suppose we'll have to look around and take branches that have already fallen. Worst comes to worse we just take the scrap metal of the plane and try and make a saw out of it. I've never worked with metals but I'll come up with something." Red laughed with what sounded like uncertainty. A soft smile spread across her face as she thought about his confident yet unconfident attempt of reassurance.

"You don't need to worry about making a saw." Dawn shook her head, taking off her dirty beanie and running her thumbs over the soft fabric which was beginning to tear apart. A child's security blanket was what it reminded her of. Something there to pacify her in the toughest of moments and always there.

"What do you mean?" He looked at her curiously before letting out a yawn. In the light of the moon and stars, she could see the dirt and blood smeared across his face. There was a bit of soot around his forehead. She felt a little bit of pity for him as he was carrying the burden of everyone's survival on his own. The most she could do is help keep the group's mood positive with Ash. However so far, she was doing a terrible job. Turning her attention back to Red's question she stretched before walking off to the area where she and Lucas had usually slept.

He lifted his head to look at her before deciding not to say anything. Quickly, she blindly fumbled around for what she was looking for. Pulling them out from under a bush which was in the same area, she rushed back towards Red and a sleeping Paul. Flopping down on the flat root across from Red, Dawn grinned and hid them behind her back.

"Guess what it is."

"Is it a saw?" Hope glimmered in his eyes but she simply laughed.

"As if I'd be able to smuggle _that_ onto a plane." Dawn laughed lightly at his thoughtless question before holding the items out. It was a pair of slightly dirtied steel-knit gloves. Dark leather covered the palms for firm gripping and light reflected and shined off of the silver-gray gloves. She could tell that he was confused as to why someone like her would have the metal work gloves.

"Why do yo-" As if on cue, Red opened his mouth and said exactly what she expected. Smiling, she slipped them on one by one and held them up to her face.

"My father is a blacksmith and a former welder. He makes thing like gates, railings, and cooking utensils. When I was about thirteen he began to teach me how to do those things but he'd never showed me how to make a weapon." Dawn stared into Red's eyes, forgetting about everything around them and getting absorbed in sharing about herself. If this was the best way she could contribute, then she'd make sure to give it her all. "It should be easy enough, right?" She could see her own eyes sparkling within his dark brown, almost black eyes. Did she really look like that? Was she really that passionate?

"That's great, we could really make something great! But why do you have those gloves on you?" Her smile disappeared as curiosity began to break into his expression. We? Why? By 'we' he meant he was going to try and make the tools himself, right? And that stupid yet reasonable question! Nervously shuffling her feet, she inhaled before looking down at her feet. _This_ again. Of course everyone always asked why she carries such items around with her. In fact, now that she thought about it, the gloves might not even come in handy at all. There didn't seem to be any essential tools needed such as an anvil, hammer, furnace, or chisel just laying about. It was only natural that life wasn't that easy. Although, she might be able to scrape by with a rock, a makeshift hammer, and the campfire.

"I... I just... I um..." Dawn suddenly stopped herself as she recognized the familiar words slipping out of her mouth. She was making excuses _again_. Those who made excuses were cowards. Living with people on a island, they were bound to find out personal things about each other eventually. It'd be better to just say it loud and proud rather than be embarrassed or nervous as people slowly found out. That's right. No more pathetic excuses for things. Taking another deep breath, she lifted her head upwards and met Red's eyes directly.

"My father is gone and these gloves are special. Although he's not here anymore, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to contribute and show everybody what I've learned from him." Her tone came out a bit more confident then she thought it would. "I'd like to make it by myself." She added quietly as if to sum it all up.

There was a moment of silence between them. Nothing but Ash and May's snoring which could be heard faintly from where she, Red, and Paul were. Was he trying to comprehend what he had just heard? Would he look at her and tell her that metal work was something for men? Her eyes looked at Paul's stiff and somewhat peaceful peace, as if they were trying to avoid Red's gaze. It seemed as if all her previous confidence to ask for a independent task was drained. Of course people would think it's strange. A small girl lifting a big, heavy hammer and pounding a red-hot, large piece of metal was almost unheard of. Apparently smithing didn't 'suit her image' at all.

"Okay."

Dawn's head snapped upwards, eyes wide.

"What?"

"I said 'okay'. If you think you can do it, then please do so, nobody's stopping you." Red smiled, leaning back against the tree and closing his eyes. She wasn't sure if he was still listening, but didn't think he'd be the type of person to end a conversation by falling asleep.

"You don't think that a man would be more suitable for the job? You don't think that my body is too weak to even lift a hammer? You don't think that it makes me look unappealing and brutish? You don't think it'd look pitiful? You don-"

"Whoa, whoa, why on earth would I think those things?" He opened one eye to look at her.

"I don't know, people usually rudely comment on it when they find out." Dawn replied with a awkward smile. Had she always been so insecure about it? Now that he'd said that, it didn't really seem like a big deal or secret anymore. People do whatever they want nowadays. What had she been so afraid of? Being nothing but feminine? Keeping up a cute image so that people would like her? She suddenly felt like she'd made a complete fool of herself.

"You're you. Do what you want while you still can." Standing up, he walked out to the campfire where Drew was sitting. Dawn was left frozen in place. Was that all there was to life? You just had to ask and people would consider letting you do things? You didn't have to have some sort of special permission to do what you love most? Shaking away the thoughts running through her head, she looked towards Paul. He looked so much less agitated while asleep.

"Now look what you've done..." She moved to sit down in the spot next to him where Red was. Gently, she poked the side of his head wondering what was going on in his mind. "You're so reckless, you know? So reckless you've beaten yourself to the point where you're all tuckered out."

Paul shifted as she poked his cheek. Dawn pulled back, slightly frightened of his abrupt movement. He was asleep for sure, right? It wouldn't hurt to just 'talk' with him, right? After all, he couldn't say anything rude and couldn't hear anyways. Sighing, she leaned her back against the tree as Red had done and looked up at the stars. At the moment, she just wanted to selfishly talk about her stuff and her problems to someone who couldn't hear and judge her for it. 'Just this once, no one has to hear about it.' She thought to herself.

"So, I love Lucas with all my heart, you know?" Dawn murmured, closing her eyes before continuing. "But you're my friend, at least to me you are. And he's said some pretty terrible things about you, not that anyone believed him, you know? Or I hope not. Sometimes he can be real mean."

Glancing over at Paul's face, she couldn't help but notice how captivating it seemed. Staring for a moment, she inhaled the cold, dry air before exhaling.

"Ash has been eating all our food and lately I can't help but notice Drew's efforts to help out. Sometimes I wonder whether we'll even last a week out here. We've already gotten past four days, almost five, but I still worry. Anything can happen, right? After all, you almost bled to death. Did you know that?" Dawn's eyebrows furrowed together in worry. Pulling her knees to her chest, she crossed her arms. Had it gotten even colder than it was before? Her scarf didn't seem to be helping block out the cold around her face and neck either.

"Do you like Leaf? I saw that you're pretty close to her. Or maybe it's just that she's clinging to you because you're the first person she met out of all ten of us. May said you two would look cute together, you know? I think you'd look better as siblings though... Did you get bigger or did I get smaller?" She waited. Almost as if waiting for a response. It was almost as if he was simply resting his eyes and listening to everything she had to say. Nothing came in return. Dawn mentally smacked herself. Here she was, talking to a sleeping person, no, herself as if someone was really listening. Even so, she couldn't fight back the urge to continue her rambling.

"I know it's really wrong to think this while I'm dating Lucas, but the new guy, I hadn't noticed it earlier, but he's kind of good-looking. So is Drew, but I suppose that finding someone attractive doesn't necessarily mean you love them. Maybe it's their personalities not their looks, you know? Admiration is often confused with love. No, no, never mind. Let's talk about something _way_ more interesting than romance!" The blue haired girl shook her head. She looked at Paul's face again. Yeah. He really wasn't listening, was he?

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here alive or is getting rescued just a fantasy now..?"

No response as expected.

"To be honest, I keep telling Misty and May that someone will eventually come like Drew has. But I really am starting to lose my faith in the rescue teams."

Quiet.

"Where do you think those strange people came from? You know, the ones that almost... took you away from us?"

Nothing.

"Why do I find 'talking' with you so relieving?"

Silence.

"Hey, wake up soon, okay? I want to talk lots more with you. Although I doubt you'll want to hear it... Whatever!"

Peaceful.

"I may not show it, but I'm actually really worried about you.."

Tranquility.

"Do you actually hate me or do you think of me as a friend?"

A shuffling sound and a grunt.

"Was that a response? Can you hear me?!"

More movement.

"Hey, Paul!" Dawn poked him in the side.

Dead silence.

"You seem really silent and strange lately. You've been avoiding eye-contact with me and you're always finding a way to get at Lucas' neck. They keep calling you a rainy storm-cloud of rage, but in reality you're just not a big talker, right? You're mysterious and you're careful. I've spent enough time around you to know that you can't be genuinely mean. However I still think it was wrong of you to accuse Lucas of doing something like murdering Gary. He wouldn't do something like that, you know? He can be harsh but he's really sweet. He means well, you know that right?"

...

"Promise me you'll forgive him for anything he says. He doesn't mean it. And Drew, he's real nice. Maybe you could be his friend? I think you've noticed it too, he's real focused on becoming your friend. Ash too, he may be floating up in the clouds a lot, but he's real helpful when it comes to lightening up the depressed moods everyone gets. I haven't known Gary for very long, but he seems like someone who'd be happy to be your friend too. They're all extremely nice to me and everyone else. Especially Drew and As-"

... An icy interruption.

"Can you stop talking about how wonderful your boyfriends are?"

* * *

 **Hey! That's a wrap for Chapter 17!**

 **I'm sorry if it was a bit more lacking than other chapters, but I figured, why not get some romance involved. And I suppose that I spent a bit too much time on the author notes when I could've been writing. But I thought that it just might be helpful for future references. Slight Ikari in this chapter, but unfortunately, not enough. Once again, sorry for the poor writing, I will try and write way more for each chapter!**

 **Not to worry, things will clear up and this will certainly end up an Ikarishipping story. Lucas can go die in a hole, right?**

 **Oldrivalshipping is on the rise and the pokèball was discussed just a bit more. Gary's knowledge on pokèmon and real animals is hinted along with his 'key trait', curiosity and Dawn is revealed to be good with metal work. Not only that, but Lucas seems to have unlocked a new, more judgmental side in himself.**

 **A good, sturdy shelter is in question as the weather gets colder and the possibility of cutting wood with a handmade saw is opened up.**

 **All of Dawn's worries and thoughts on most of the other survivors are revealed to Paul and Dawn's insecurity was cleared away.**

 **Yep, I sort of ditched the survival aspect a little bit, but there will definitely be chapters WITH that as the main focus and romance as a side-subject. I just figured I'd add a bit of character development in there.**

 **EVERYTHING WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE SUN RISES... But we have to get through the night scenes first.**

 **So yeah, that's my conclusion.**

 **Warning:* Major Oldrivalshipping moment in the next chapter, uhuehueu**

 **Anyways, feel free to leave a review, tell me what you thought!**

 **Bear**


	18. Chapter 18

**Shh...My beautiful chapter 18 is here.**

 **There's a lot of character development in this chapter, so don't be expecting the survival aspect to be grasped until Chapter 19. This chapter is really just a collection of short scenes, but I assure you that they all lead to bigger problems, bigger chapters, and bigger plots.**

 **Gratitude/Comments:**

 **Thank you very much, ElectroPhoenix! It makes me happy that you think my writing isn't bad. I guess you'll just have to find out, Oldrivalshipping is coming right up c:!  
**

 **Bkitty25, thanks for reading and reviewing! Unfortunately, this story's Ikarishipping romance will be fairly slow... So if you don't like things like that, then yes, I do think you should stop reading now if you dislike it that much. But thanks anyways!**

 **miss ASSASSIN MASTER, thanks for reading! You're very welcome for the little thing at the top.**

 **Cid Neha, I'm glad you enjoyed it ^-^ Sorry, cliffhangers are my thing, you know c:?**

 **JustinThePokemonMaster, thanks for reading again ^ ^ But really, was Paul listening the ENTIRE time? Uhuehuehue. Thanks!**

 **Mr Squirtle6, yo thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad you liked it!**

 ** _Banana Bomb_ , thank you for your critique on my last chapter. But really, I'm super glad that you caught that 'love' part! As teenagers in adolescence, love tends to be on the mind of almost everyone. And if not, it is at least laughed at and casually brushed off as a mere comment. By making Dawn and Lucas' relationship shallow, it allows Paul and Dawn's to progress even further. But yeah, thanks for seeing the potential in me!**

 **Marron Chestnut, thanks for reading! Glad you liked it! Hope you had a nice Halloween ^ ^!**

 **PolarDawn, thanks, that means a lot. But I feel like I've still got a lot of improvement to make ^ ^' Thanks again for your critiques! Oldrival, coming your way c:**

 **Alpha The Loyalist, thanks again for dropping by! Haha, yeah, I get how you feel, I'm a little shorty so it's okay. Don't let your self-esteem get swayed by Red The Giant. You'll eventually figure out all the shipping names.. Actually no, that's not entirely true, there are over a hundred and fifty different Pokemon ships because of all the characters that have popped up.**

 **That's it for now, thanks for 75 reviews, makes me really happy, you know?**

 **Here we go c:!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

 _I am not Satoshi Tajiri._

* * *

 _Chapter 18:_

 _'Leafy? What are you doing out here alone this late at night?'_

"Holy-!"

She fumbled around in a panic before jumping, spraying sand everywhere. Gary smiled and walked over to where she had been sitting. Flopping down onto the cool, somewhat soft sand, he looked up at her. A startled expression had overtaken her face and her body language seemed as if it were ready to go into battle.

"Did the sight of my hot body scare you?" Smoothing back his hair, he jokingly flashed her a flirtatious grin. Leaf's nose seemed to wrinkle in disgust as a response. Soft brushing sounds of her feet against the sand occurred before stopping as she returned to her previous position. However, this time she was about six feet away from Gary, doing her best to keep her distance.

"Gross." Leaf muttered, hugging her knees tighter and gazing out. Her eyes seemed to follow the small, smooth current of the waves close to the beach. Lifting his head, Gary followed her gaze which then travelled far out, probably miles and miles away from shore. There, the roaring tides crashed and rolled yet for some odd reason, the water closer to the island seemed unaffected.

In the sky above, the sky that almost everyone seemed to be looking at that night, stars twinkled. Light-gray, thin and soft-looking clouds overlapped a majority of the stars. They swirled above and slightly glowed due to the moonlight. Gary couldn't help but sneak another peek at Leaf. Luckily, she didn't show any signs of noticing his stare. Her face was illuminated by the silver rays of light. Even with an astonishing beauty radiating off of her body, her face was blank with no emotion detectable. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"What are you thinking?"

"Eh?" Eyebrows raised, Leaf turned her head. Locking eyes with him, she seemed a bit hesitant to reply. "Why?"

"O-oh!" Gary laughed awkwardly. His question had been spoken without much thought. He reached back with his right hand and sheepishly rubbed his hair, searching quickly for a response. The girl's eyes seemed to be digging into his own and ripping through his face. For some reason, he hated the feeling he got whenever she looked at him. It was always the same sharp, unreadable gaze that he found unnerving yet oddly engrossing.

"Well..?"

"Just curious, you know?" Well, it wasn't necessarily a lie slipping out of his mouth. Although it seemed to be a bit less embarrassing when he said in his head. Leaf's fists clenched tightly as she brought them down from her knees to rest by her side on the sand.

"Curiosity killed the cat." She murmured with not even the slightest amount of aggression in her voice. This in fact, was a shocker as her tone was soft. A soft tone. The tone she hadn't used with him at all. To top it all off, her piercing gaze directed towards him mimicked the eyes of a cat. Recovering from his brief moment of shock, Gary huffed and ran his hand through his hair.

"What, were you thinking about something dirty? It's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, if you need help fulfilling your desires I'd be glad to he-"

"Y-you're revolting!" Leaf shouted, cutting him off by throwing a stick at his head.

"I'm just trying to help." Gary shrugged with a smirk overtaking his face. He grabbed the stick and tossed it back into her hands. She caught it, sending him an icy glare.

"Why do you always make perverted comments like that?" A light blush appeared on her face as she turned away, not allowing him to look at it. Her actions made him laugh, but he decided to take pity on her embarrassment and hold back.

" _'Curiosity killed the cat._ '" He mimicked with a cocky grin carving out his smirk. Leaf let out an exasperated sigh before making an attempt to ignore him. Focusing her eyes, she silently directed all her attention towards the ocean. Although, Gary wasn't done yet. The scraping sounds of the sand made her slightly uneasy as she felt his presence uncomfortably close to her body.

"What... are you doing?" Irritation was evident in her voice.

"I just want to be close to my little Leafy." That too was pure honesty. This girl was far too interesting for someone like Gary to just ignore. Why had she not fallen for him like every girl he'd ever talked to? In fact, now that he thought about it, none of the female survivors seemed to swoon over him. What a shame, they were so hot too.

"Leave me alone."

He reached out to touch her shoulder but as quick as lightning, her hand flew up. His hand stung. It wasn't as much painful as it was shocking. Tonight was just full of surprises, wasn't it? Leaf did not seem like the type of person in Gary's eyes to hit someone. However that thought was pretty much dented due to the previous attack on his ear. Even so, he still hadn't expected her to reject his touch in such a way. Usually she would say things like, "Get away from me", or simply, "Don't touch me."

"Only Red, Dawn, May, and possibly Paul may touch me." She growled. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. He had no problem with that man. Red was kind, caring, respectful, intelligent, selfless, and had good leadership qualities. Who wouldn't like him? But it seemed as if, according to the other group members, Leaf was pretty much obsessed with him for reasons unknown to everyone else.

"Why do you like Red so much? He's way too old for you! I mean, sure he's a great guy, but I've known you for at least a day longer. How come you don't trust me as much as you do him?" Gary frowned. He didn't understand why Red could hug her but if he so much as poked her she would get pissed. Was it a mistake to say that? Leaf's eyes went from sharp and cold to lit ablaze.

"I don't believe you realize how much you screw with me." She snarled, shocking him a bit. "Red is my friend and nothing more. Obviously you're too ignorant to understand what our relationship is. Unlike your relationships, which are probably all sexual, ours is a mutual family relationship!"

Although her words offended him and startled him to the point where he couldn't think of anything to say, he was sorry to say that it was the truth. It had been at least a bit over nine years of his life since he'd had a healthy, non-sexual relationship with a girl. His girlfriend back home had probably forgotten all about him and gotten another boyfriend by now. After all, his boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with her was pretty much a whole _friends with benefits_ thing rather than love and cuddle thing. Yeah. He really shouldn't have let his mouth run before his brain.

Her breathing seemed ragged and heavy. Did she really get that worked up over a single person? If Gary wasn't mistaken, that was love. Or maybe was it devotion? An awkward silence overtook the atmosphere much to Gary's disappointment. The scenery around them, though cold and windy, was beautiful and he just had to go and ruin it. Regret claimed his sullen expression.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you seriously think that a simple 'sorry' will cut it? What's your problem? Do you have something against Red or are you just envious of him?" Apparently Leaf was much more talkative when angry than she was when she was happy. Knowing the usual female, Gary figured it'd be the other way around. However with a girl in front of him who has his interest piqued, he didn't want to make their relationship too foul. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to shove aside his thick ego and immense amount of pride.

"I, Gary Oak, am genuinely sorry for saying such insensitive things when I myself was too ignorant to simply ask to clarify my conclusions."

"W-what are you doing?

His grandfather had always told him that this was the way to apologize formally. Usually his grandfather himself used this apology to keep his grandmother form divorcing him. Which was probably a good thing, considering the fact that his mother wouldn't have met his father or even have been born if it weren't for his grandfather's little tricks. Moving to sit in front of her, he lowered his head and waited for some sort of response.

"Stop it."

Not the right response.

"Stop it, Oak!"

Gary said nothing.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Waiting.. He felt the sand between his fingers as he waited, beginning to get a little bit impatient with her.

"Gary!"

He bowed even lower in response.

..

"Stop! I... I accept your apology..! Just stop." Looking upwards, Gary noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. He grinned before lifting his head and reaching for her hands. Her panicked look was what made him stop. Right. This wasn't his girlfriend, he couldn't freely touch her without her consent. Honestly, he didn't think that his apology would be accepted to quickly. Was it really that embarrassing to have someone kneel in front of you? Retracting his hands, he shoved them in his pockets before standing up and moving back to his spot beside her. Making sure he was a good distance away from her out of respect, Gary shuffled until he became comfortable in the sand.

"If I were to somehow become your friend, would you let me touch you?" Gary inquired, rolling his shoulders as they seemed to be a bit stiff.

"In what way..?" Leaf's eyes seemed to burn holes in him. They searched for specifics as his question must have been too vague.

"A friendly gesture like a high-five or maybe a hug." He shrugged. Her face seemed to look a bit dull and expressionless for a brief moment as she looked down at her feet.

"You already were my friend..." She muttered under her breath. However, Gary couldn't hear her so he figured she was doing something weird like talking to herself. Ignoring it, he stretched his limbs out in front of him before looking back at her. He had some sort of urge to grab her and hug her. But if he did that then she'd probably take his entire ear off. Her gaze seemed to wander away from him and out to a brown, soggy piece of driftwood being tugged and pulled through the waves.

Leaf's small, almost fragile looking figure resembled the porcelain doll which sat on the mantel above the fireplace back at home. Gary froze slightly. What had that doll looked like? It was certainly something that his mother had loved but due to the more recent events it seemed like a blurry photograph. Smacking his head gently, he tried to remember what it looked like. A dress. Some sort of dark colored dress with a strange pattern. Everything in his head was fuzzy. Maybe he was concentrating too much.

The amount of wind blown across the sandy beach seemed to lower. Although he would still occasionally find the need to brush off his clothing or spit out a bit of grit blown into his face. Leaf's mouth was still curved into a frown and she had yet to speak since the earlier moment. It had just been minutes of silence posing as hours. Maybe it was suicide, but it couldn't hurt to strike up a conversation, right? As long as he was very careful nothing could possibly go wrong.

"Leafy, you'd look cuter if you smiled more."

"...Where did that come from?" Her gaze had hardened into a glare. Did she hate him or something? No. It probably just came off wrong, right? Maybe it came off as an insult? The questions made his head hurt, but he decided to give it another shot to lighten the mood.

"I'm just saying, your face will freeze like that if you don't smile enough."

"Well you've changed a whole lot since then, haven't you?" She muttered under her breath. The expression and her precious anatomy. There it was again, the intense urge to touch her.

"What was that?" His eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Oh, it's nothing." Leaf sighed, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. There was something that he just was dying to do, but Gary didn't want to make her mood any worse than it was already. It may have been a good opportunity to practice self-control, but unfortunately, Gary was not the type of person to possess such a thing. He reached forward and with both of his index fingers, pried the sides of her mouth upwards.

"Gary."

"Yes, my dear?"

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Yep. Way cuter like this."

Her eyebrows furrowed together slightly. The look on her face that he had forced was a mixture between creepy and funny. Leaf roughly slammed her palms into his shoulders, propelling him backwards and onto the sand. Reaching upwards, she massaged her cheeks before childishly sticking her tongue out at him. Wordlessly, Leaf pulled herself back into her sitting spot. With her arms wrapped around her sides, she pulled her legs to her chest as she had done before. It was colder than everything now and Gary supposed that her skirt wasn't exactly the best thing to wear at the moment.

Recalling his earlier action, Gary closed his eyes for a moment. Her face felt softer than it looked and there were no traces of makeup. Although, it was probably because with the plane destroyed along with their luggage, there was no time or supplies to make yourself look pretty. Something about the girl was more appealing than his girlfriend. Of course, he didn't mind cheating as his relationship with his girlfriend was shallower than a puddle on the side of a road. But how would she react if he made a more serious move on her?

He froze before shaking his head. That's definitely out of the question, she'd certainly rather kill him than go out with him. However, even if they did go out, there wouldn't really be any point, right? They're on an island with almost no signs or chances of getting rescued. What would they do, survive together? Technically they're already doing that with the help of everyone else. His eyes flickered towards Leaf's face which was stony and hard. Maybe this girl was impossible..

Looking upwards, he noticed the clouds forming in the sky. Moonlight and starlight that once shined down on them was beginning to fade away. Wind was beginning to pick up, sending sand swirling across the earth. Narrowing his eyes, he stood up and tapped Leaf on the shoulder, barely touching her.

"We should go back into the shelter of the trees."

"I'm not tired yet."

"What are you, a child?" Gary raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle.

"I'm under the age of eighteen so technically, yes." Leaf murmured, just barely audible from the shaking of trees and gusts of wind whistling in his ears. He looked at her as if what she had just said was a joke. But her face was coated in pure seriousness.

"Alright, let me rephrase that. It's probably going to storm, and I don't want to get my clothes wet because it's already cold enough. I'm sure that sleeping in the grass clearing close to the trees will be drier than being out here." Yawning at the end of his reasoning, he began to walk back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her rise to her feet. Because it was him, Gary didn't actually think that she would listen to him. Although he must've made a good point in her head or she wouldn't have even bothered to stand up.

Smiling gently, he shook his head and pushed his way past the bushes to get to the clearing in the woods. The fire, which was nearby, was still burning, illuminating the entire area and neither Drew nor Red were in sight. He figured that they must have moved in the keep watch out of the weather. Leaf must've been behind him because he felt a small thud. Turning around, he locked eyes with the girl. In her hand was a pebble which she had thrown at his back. An oddly familiar grin was displayed on her face.

Something was there..

And it was...

Almost too familiar...

And...

He didn't like it.

* * *

 _'Can you stop talking about how wonderful your boyfriends are?'_

"Oh!"

Dawn jumped in surprise, eyes widening as they met with Paul's dark, shadowy orbs. She could just barely make out his figure in the darkness of the woods. Even so, Dawn could feel his glare on her. Deciding not to bicker with him, she said nothing in response, awkwardly shifting her legs.

Her eyes took a glance at him. Through the dark, she could see him rub the cloth around his arm. He winced before letting out a low grunt, leaning backwards into the tree even further. His body seemed to quiver as the wind blew past them, disrupting the once still trees and bushes. They rustled and shook, making the moment all the more awkward. As much as she wanted to get up and sleep next to Leaf, May, or Misty and they were pretty much strangers to her, she couldn't bring herself to move. It felt as if weights were tied around her legs.

"Why don't you go snuggle with your boyfriend? Or maybe you'd prefer to fall asleep with Drew holding you? No. Maybe someone as helpful as Ash would be a better fit." Paul spoke in a deep, dull voice. He seemed to be very agitated for a reason unknown to Dawn. Had he really just woken up grumpy? Rather than arguing back, she figured she'd cut him some more slack. After all, he had gotten beaten and bashed until the blood knocked him out earlier and Dawn wasn't the type of person to pester someone _that_ much.

"I don't really want to talk with any of them..." She murmured in response, flashing him a soft smile. His face didn't seem to change, it just remain stony and cold until her soft smile turned awkward. Her fingers twirled her hair as a familiar period of silence put a gap between them.

"And so _you_ decided to come to _me_?" Paul snorted, staring skeptically at her. Dawn definitely didn't expect him to say anything as he was almost never the first person to break an awkward tension. It was like he was immune to that sort of nervous, strange atmosphere whenever the conversation took a trip south.

"W-well... Uhm.. Yeah?" Although she could feel the heat rushing to her face, she kept copying his stern, icy expression.

"I'm going to take a guess and say it's because everyone else is busy" Dawn swore she saw a slight look of disappointment, but then decided that it wasn't possible.

"You... Could say that.."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement before adjusting the jacket that Drew had thrown on him.

"Who's is this...?" The violet haired boy mumbled in questioning, lifting the jacket from his body with his one good arm and eying it up. Dawn doubted that he could actually see what it looked like, but figured there'd be no point in saying it. In fact, there was no point in commenting on most of his actions. She wasn't sure anyone had noticed, but when she got up to get come water from the tarp for Lucas earlier, she had in fact watched Drew. Unconsciously, a small smile graced her lips as she thought of the act of kindness between the two who were strangers to each other.

"Hey, what are you smiling about? Answer me." Mouth tugged into a frown, he reached out and shoved her just enough to get her attention. Dawn tried her best not to send him a sharp glare, only smiling a bit more.

"Drew gave that to you since it's really cold out and you were unconscious. Oh, and try to relax a little, you still have a fever but it's gone down quite a bit." She replied, taking the coat from his hands and laying it back on top of him.

"Why do you care?" It wasn't exactly a question, more like a statement. After all, Paul wasn't really the type of person to ask a whole lot of questions. Maybe it was because he was used to knowing his stuff all the time? Dawn frowned just a little.

"Everyone else is either asleep or on watch." With a sigh, she fiddled with a lock of her hair before thinking a bit more about what she had just said. "Speaking of which, why do we have to have a 'watch shift'?" It may have been a bit late to ask that, although it was never officially announced so it wasn't an unreasonable question.

"You don't know?" What sounded like laugh emerged from Paul's direction. Almost as if the reason had been completely out there and obvious.

"Of course not!" Dawn glared, eyes adjusting to the darkness only to see Paul's famous 'smart ass smirk'. "What's so funny?!"

"I figured that _you_ of all people would know the reason why." She could see now that his arms were crossed underneath Drew's coat and his legs were crossed as well. He leaned back against the tree with a perfectly relaxed look on his face. Dawn took a moment to think about it before realization took over. Her eyebrows furrowed together and her eyes narrowed.

"You're not talking about _those things_ are you?" Dropping her hair, she shifted into a more comfortable position before standing up. Her eyes peered at him in a slightly terrified yet angry look.

"I certainly am." He huffed.

"They won't attack us if we stick in large groups, right? So far they've only attacked people in pairs." Dawn lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning forward towards him. A shiver ran down her spine as another gust of wind blew through the clearing. Holding her sides, she crouched, trying to keep her limbs close to her body. Again, the scarf around her neck and the beanie on her head was rendered useless to the cold.

"You are all so irritatingly slow." Paul growled, meeting her eyes. They were cold and as dark as the area around them. A moment of silence overtook their conversation as Ash's snoring got louder for a brief moment. With a thud, it was silenced. Dawn smiled for a split moment, figuring that either Misty or May had smacked him like an alarm clock in the morning. Returning her attention to Paul, she did her best to match up to his icy stare.

"What are you talking about?" The fact that Paul was throwing smart remarks and insults again and again without stopping was seriously testing her patience.

"I realized it in a dream while I was... I guess you could say asleep." He stifled a yawn, playing with a a section of cloth which was hanging off his bandaged arm. Through the darkness, Dawn watched it, focusing all of her attention on it for a minute.

"Realized what?" Dawn clenched her fists in frustration however his smirk only grew. Suddenly, his mouth dropped to a blank, straight face. His face was now coated in a serious expression. Jaw clenched, he seemed to be searching through his head for a way to describe it. It looked as if he was having a rough time thinking about how to word it. As she opened her mouth to inquire something about it, he let out a few grunting sounds, shuffling a little before speaking.

"An obvious attack pattern." Paul patted the earth beside him. Dawn looked at him with confusion as to why he'd want her to get _closer_ to him but he simply turned his head away from her and snorted. Almost as if saying he didn't give a crap about her confusion. Sighing, she decided _once again_ not to say anything that might provoke him. Hesitantly, Dawn shuffled closer, keeping a good distance between them. Even if he didn't seem like the type of person to assault someone, she didn't know what was going on in his head. As soon as she was only several inches from him, he lifted his good arm and lazily shoved it into her chest.

"Attack pattern?" She looked down at his arm which had previously had Drew's coat laying on it. The boy retracted his arm to his side with a grunt, leaving the coat in a heap on Dawn's lap. Her usual soft, delicate smile returned to her lips as she picked it up and adjusted it over her torso. Pulling her legs up and under it, Dawn glanced up, awaiting Paul's response. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Paul met her gaze.

"Every incident that has happened so far... Has involved me."

* * *

"Damn."

The water in the tarp was slowly beginning to disappear as the hours passed. Last time he had checked it was completely full that morning before Paul passed out and the tarp was revealed. With high winds and a possible storm it would be very difficult to obtain water. It was also too dangerous to head to the lake with the vicious attacks happening out of nowhere.

He raised his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. With a low sigh, he stood up and began fumbling through the dark to the campfire. Earlier, Drew had wandered away to the clearing in the woods to take the watch position closest to the other survivors. Although he had light suspicions, he decided to brush it off as the boy had certainly proven that he could be trusted. At least, he proved himself to him and that was all that mattered.

Red shook his head before picking up the neatly packed away herbs which Drew had set aside for him. Moving them over a bit, he sat down on one of the logs. Heat from the fire rushed over him and almost seemed to remove weight from his shoulders. It was official. The lives of these teenagers were officially becoming a growing burden on his shoulders. And it seemed as if nothing, not even the warm fire could lift it.

He quickly looked up and flashed a smile to Leaf and Gary as they strolled past and into the woods to the clearing. How long could he keep this act up? He didn't think it would last much longer, but their laughs and smiles were worth the pain. Immediately after, his eyes locked on Paul's makeshift knife which he had borrowed in order to make weapons and materials. Now, the long, sharp rock was resting in his hands. Red's eyes trailed the rim of the knife, following in pursuit of his own fingers. They traced up and down the edges which were less jagged and beginning to dull down. Soon, he would either have to help Paul make a new one or sharpen it.

A small thud and crunching of sand rang out as Red dropped the stone, letting it sink into the sand beside his feet. How stressful it was... To try and keep the mood bright and happy when there was most likely no help out there. The plane had been completely destroyed during the crash after it practically exploded. So getting a signal with a radio was a dead idea. He was very surprised that these teenagers could cope so well given the situation. Usually after an event like this would send adults into a violent, panicked flurry.

Things could have been way worse than a couple of confused and unconscious emotional adolescent teenagers stumbling away from the plane. Their luck was almost unrealistic, which drove Red insane every time he thought about it. Massaging his temples, Red leaned forward before adjusting the cap on his head downwards rather than upwards.

No, they were anything but lucky now that he thought about it. The survivors. No. His survivors kept getting targeted by what seemed to be 'vicious cannibals'. What they were going to do, he didn't know. In fact, no matter how hard he tried to seem like he knew what he was doing, he still didn't know anything. Why did they all look at him like he was a genius? Why were they all looking to him for protection? Is it because he's the older one? Is it because he's supposed to be the most mature one? Maybe it's because he made the mistake of creating order in the chaos on the first day?

Red smashed his fist down on the log he was sitting on in frustration. Silently, he cried out in pain as now his fists ached more than his head. He was supposed to have arrived in Kalos four, almost five, days ago for his wedding. His family was waiting for him there and now his fiancée must believe he is dead. And because of the crash he was forced to stand as an emblem of hope, smiling and leading a group of teenagers.

"Damn it all!" Again and again he rammed his fists into the log. Pain. Pain. Pain. In his head, hands, and chest. It was all he could feel. "Screw it. Kill me. Fuck this shit."

The pain rippling through his hands and muscles didn't stop him until the front of his cap fell over his eyes. Reaching upwards, Red ripped his cap off and threw it onto the ground. Panting heavily, he looked at his hands and the log to see what damage he had done. It appeared that something inside him was holding his full strength back, as his hands were still perfectly intact. However they were bloodied and bruised now. A familiar warm liquid formed and spilled over his knuckles. He had waited forever to have a moment where the younger survivors weren't around him. Suffering alone in silence was the best he could do for them. It would be too selfish to make his emotions public and make them feel guilt or regret.

His beautiful, perfect, wonderful fiancée... Without him around, the eyes of low-life scoundrels would violate her body. The thought of it made his fists clench tightly. Was she still wearing the engagement ring? Or had she torn it off her finger and tossed it into the trash after he made a no-show to their wedding? No. Certainly she understood the situation and was waiting in hope, holding that ring close to her heart as she fell asleep at night. She was loyal to him and him only, right?

She's mine. Mine and only mine. Nobody can do anything about that, right? As long as she still has that ring, I've left my mark on her, right?

More wet liquid. A clear, salty liquid which fell and created small puddles on his hands. It mixed in with his blood and sweat. Tears. A whole lot of them. They leaked out of his eyes and slipped down the sides of his face. Red grit his teeth in frustration as he pulled a black and silver band off of his ring-finger. Looking at it through his blurred vision, more un-cried tears shot down his face. Placing it in the palm of his right hand, he closed his hand around it, bringing it to his chest.

"Please..." An unclear plead escaped his lips. What was he asking for? He didn't know. What did he want? Was it to survive? Help the others survive? Form bonds? Get married? His head was now a file of scrambled up memories and wishes. He was only thirty, he had spent most of his life in a lonely solitude until he met his fiancée. Now his happiness was going to be ripped away from him. It's not fair. Nothing's fair. All around him, the teenagers were finding themselves and falling in love as if they didn't have to worry about much else, meanwhile he was suffering in the corner.

"How selfish of me to think like that.." He muttered, quietly scolding himself under his breath. Crossing his legs, he felt a small, flat, hard object in his pocket. Uncrossing his legs, he reached into his pocket with his left hand and pulled out a large, colorful shiny fish scale. Leaf's fish scale to be precise.

More tears. More silent crying. A little bit more than before. Here in his left hand was proof that those teenagers trusted him with their lives. And yet here he was, moping and getting depressed over his own problems. Surely they had just as many problems as him. He now had energetic, happy friends who were though younger, still soothing to the heart to have around, helpful and humorous friends who lightened the situation, and most of all, a girl who looked up to him and respected him more than any of the other survivors. Yet he could not do anything for her or for anyone.

Stuffing it in his pocket, he wiped his tears away, now only clutching his engagement ring close to him. For some reason, the once happy plans he had made with his fiancée to get married, have children, and grow old together seemed like torture to think about. His lip quivered. Red laughed lightly and as quietly as possible. It was funny, a grown man breaking down and sobbing like a four year old. Maybe if they all made it out alive, somehow, he'd introduce Leaf to his wife. Maybe he would get married and Leaf could become his adoptive daughter. After all, it already seemed like it was that way. One big happy family.

"That would be nice." Red unconsciously murmured, pressing his hand even harder into his chest. Was he insane for thinking these things? Aside from the fact that Leaf already had parents, everything in his plans were perfect. Or maybe he was only thinking these strange things because of fatigue. He nodded to himself. That had to be the reason behind it. Leaf...

That fish scale... He promised he'd do something with it for her, but now, in the middle of the night, was no time to do it. This was his night. His night to cry, weep, and feel sorry for himself. But the next day, he would have to suck it up.

His decision was a painful priority but for now...

It was okay.

* * *

 **Yep, Chapter 18 is finished!**

 **I'm sorry, it's shorter than the last two chapters. But to be honest, there's not really a center plot in this chapter so it was harder to write a whole lot of details. I think I got enough in there though.**

 **So, to fill up some space I added what is going to be what I call... "The Red Ache" Arc which was really short to start, but will be soon be mixed into the main story. It will most likely be centered around Red, of course, Leaf, and Gary.**

 _ **Anyways... What kind have information have we disclosed? Well...:**_

 **Leaf has some sort of problem with people touching her.**

 **Gary and Leaf have some sort of secretive past. Why doesn't he remember her? We'll just have to figure that out.**

 **Paul reveals that there is in fact some sort of pattern that goes along with the cannibal-attacks. All the attacks were centered around Paul? Uheuhuehue.**

 **Red had a fiancée who he was going to marry once he arrived in Kalos. Who's his fiancée? Uhuehuehue... Probably someone who won't really affect the main plot too much.**

 **The fish scale from chapter nine makes another appearance. I guess I'll just say it now, the scale will be a very important tie in to The Red Ache arc.**

 **And... Uh...**

 **Yeah, so that's it for now!**

 **Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review! Say something c:!  
~**

 **Until next time,**

 **!~**

 **Bear**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19~!  
** **Yeeey!**

 **So hey, I've been a little slow to my writing with all these school projects and another junk like that. But, I suppose there's always time Pokemon, right? Uhuehuehue. Alright! So:**

 **Gratitude** **/Comments:**

 **Hey, Blacknebulastar. I haven't seen you around, so I'll just say thanks for picking up my fanfiction and reading it! It means a lot! Thanks again!**

 **BananaBomb, thanks for the critique as usual. But, uhuehue I never really said Paul WAS the center of the attacks. You'll just have to read on, huehuehu. Yeah, so... Thanks again ^_^!**

 **Cid Neha, yo, thanks for reading!  
**

 **Thankyou, Mr Squirtle6! I'm glad you've been enjoying my chapters. Thanks again!**

 **Oreo, thanks for reading and reviewing! Read on!**

 **Hello again, MarronChestnut! Thank you very much for reading and dropping a review! Ash and Misty will have their own little moments, I assure you. I'm just trying to work out the main plots and get back to the survival point. Hopefully I'll get a chance later in the chapters to dedicate a whole section/chapter to Pokeshipping. I'm really glad you loved Red's character development! Thanks again!  
**

 **Alpha The Loyalist, hey! It's good to see you again ^ ^ It makes me happy that you thought the last chapter was special. I'm glad you liked Red and Leaf's development. And ooh~! I think I've already seen half of the things Google has forced on me...Uhuhueuh**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, PolarDawn c: I'm glad you liked my Oldrivalshipping scene ^-^ I suppose you'll just have to see about Red's situation. Until next time!**

 **That's about it for now! Read on, my children!**

 **A good amount of Ikarishipping be coming up! Oh! And I'll have Dawn give a further explanation on the scenario and planning. So, let's just say that her VERY convenient explaining is just her talking to herself to pass time? Ahahaha.. No. Yeah I don't know. And.. Well... I guess I'll go back to the main survival point... Uuughh..**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

 _Don't own Pokemon.._

* * *

 _Chapter 19:_

 _'Every incident that has happened so far... Has involved me.'_

 _..._

"Paul..."

"What?" He growled, narrowing his eyes and shooting yet another glare at her. Dawn returned his frown, crossing her arms and shifting under Drew's coat. A small chuckle escaped from her mouth as she thought for a moment to herself.

"What's so funny?" Paul almost hissed, trying to smack her with his good arm. Due to the extreme loss of blood, his movement was very slow. The girl next to him grinned before moving just barely out of his reach. "Damn." He grumbled.

"Oh... Nothing much.." Dawn just smiled even more, teasing him by gently poking him in the cheek with her finger. His face seemed emotionless, but she could just sense the amusement he was feeling. Suddenly, her face tensed in all seriousness as she cleared her throat and returned to the original subject.

A pause overtook her as she fumbled through her mind for things to say. Cold wind shot at them, sending fallen leaves up into the air and goosebumps down her arms. Snuggling further into Drew's coat, she grit her teeth. Of course, she was partially used to sleeping like this, but the evening seemed even colder than any of the previous nights. Dawn's mind went blank as she shifted to bring warmth to her body. Although it pained her to admit it, she did wish that she hadn't fought with Lucas and was laying with him. With his arms around her, she felt some sense of security and about as warm as her bed back home.

Sighing, she grabbed and twisted the ends of her hair in stress. There was no point in thinking about it now, after all, she was the one who pushed him away. Now that she thought about it, Dawn found herself slightly overwhelmed with pride and righteousness. Fighting and rejecting Lucas was the right thing to do, right? Especially after he had said all those horrible things about Paul. And no one gets away with screwing her friends.

"Well...?" Paul's somewhat edgy voice disrupted her thoughts. Shaking her remaining negative thoughts away, she shivered, clenching her fists. After the recent attacks and the shortage of supplies, Dawn decided to maintain a little discipline. Which would mean absolutely **no** complaining, no matter how much she wanted to. Letting her face go slack, she tried to relax herself as she found the correct wording.

"It's ridiculous. Your theory, it doesn't make any sense." Dawn murmured quite bluntly. She could hear the sound of fabric being rubbed together. He must have been surprised that she didn't just smile and agree or make a big fuss over it. "Do you have any proof or evidence?"

"Hnn... You're smarter than I thought you were. You have a good point, I suppose it's just a thought." Paul shrugged, eying her through the darkness. Peering straight back at him, Dawn shuffled just a bit closer to him. A soft smile graced her face as she shut her eyes. Letting herself go completely slack, she gently fell to the side. Now leaning against his right shoulder, she slightly lifted her eyelids. Through her small window of vision, she found herself staring intently at his bloodied bandages on his left arm. It made her worry at first, until she shifted a bit more to get a closer look. The blood was dried and a russet-brown color. Clearly, he wasn't bleeding too much anymore which almost made her exhale in relief.

"I suppose that's true, but I'm not that ignorant." Her voice was about as soft as the look on her face. She was aware that she must've looked and sound very drowsy. However she just couldn't bring herself to lift her head and move away from the warmth presented. Paul was even warmer than she thought he'd be, especially in the current weather. It was okay to let her guard down. He wasn't the type of person to assault without a reason and even if he tried, he was still too physically weak to do much. Besides, she'd scream then everyone would wake up and come right to her aid if he tried anything.

At first, she was cautious and wary of him. As usually hugging was a sign of major affection and she had been told it was an action that only lovers engaged in. But, now that she thought about it, she had hugged many of her closest friends and even new friends like Leaf and May. If he was a friend, than it must be okay, right? Setting that reasoning aside, body warmth was essential to survival these days. Especially as the weather grew colder and proper shelter had to be put on hold for the evening.

"What the hell are you doing?" He sounded agitated, but at the moment, Dawn just didn't care. Of course, he'd probably give her an earful about how unpleasant having extra weight on his shoulder was the next day. And she'd probably get furious and snap right back. Then it may turn into a full war and the others would be troubled by it. Or maybe he'd get all up in her face about ' _the one'_ who may or may not resemble her. After all, he did say that he was thinking of someone else after hugging her.

"I'm just tired... and cold." Right. There were more important things to worry about in the morning. Without proper sleep, she wouldn't be able to help complete those essential tasks. Even if the chances of building proper tools out of the plane's scrap metal were low, it was worth a shot. Having things like hammers, swords, and cooking utensils all made by her would mean that she was important and one of the most useful to the group's survival. It was a perfect plan. Dawn would somehow make sure that she was a group-member that they could not afford to lose. Until then, with Paul, maybe her chances of falling asleep would raise. Even by the tiniest bit, it was worth the awkward atmosphere.

"Why don't you go get Lucas?" His irritating ways of bringing up Lucas were beginning to test her temper. Taking a deep breath, she tried once more to calm herself, bringing her hands to the center of her torso in an attempt to warm them.

"I told you, I don't want to even think about him right now."

"What? Did you have a falling out with him or something and now want to use me for comfort?" Icy and unwelcoming was what his voice was. However his welcoming body actions seemed to be speaking differently. Unexpectedly, he made no effort to shove her away like he would've done just hours ago. And telling her to get away from him was anything but the first thing to escape his mouth.

"It'll be alright. We did have a falling out but I'm not using you in any way. We'll probably apologize and make up with each other tomorrow." Dawn yawned a little, taking a moment to try and listen to his heartbeat. However, because she was leaning on his right shoulder, his heart was almost way out of audible range. The fact that she couldn't seize the moment to listen to his heart was a little bit disappointing. Listening to peoples' heartbeats was probably one of her most favorite things to do. She had no idea how to explain the positive emotion that overwhelms her whenever she does it.

The person doesn't necessarily have to be male either. In fact, most of the hearts she listened to were those of her female friends back home. Whenever she hugged them or if there ever was a quiet period of time when they sat side by side. Maybe it was a little bit creepy, but the beating sound of a heart was very pleasing. Although, Dawn barely got a chance to do it as when she and her friends turned fourteen, every day was filled with noisy get-togethers and ear-deafening parties. Those in which were fun, but a little bit frustrating to participate in all the time.

"You actually had a falling out?" Paul's voice was quiet and his question was more like a statement. As usual. But she could sense the curiosity building in his tone as he spoke. The dark, shadowy world around them seemed to get brighter. Sunlight peaked out from the horizon line just past the trees and began to eat up the darkness. It was morning already and she had wasted the hours she could have been resting to talk with Paul. Although, it may not have been a complete waste of time. Even if morning was coming, they would probably be given time to rest if they took the night work for the day.

* * *

 _(Note:* Here, Dawn gives a brief explanation of how the group works... Forgive me, I **didn't** think about it when I was writing the previous chapters.. So sorry, haha.**)_

 _Now that Red had gotten a good grasp on leading us, he had formed an entire plan. Half of us would take jobs in the morning and rest at night while the other half would take jobs at night and rest in the morning. The plan was fairly simple and kept us from slacking off or suffering from sleep-deprivation. A meeting which occurred just days ago decided the jobs._

 _Patrolling. One of the more usual jobs. It's fairly simple, you just go out, search the woods and try and mark the places you've been. Maybe even keep an eye out for those savages. At the rate we're going, we may in fact conquer the entire forest! Or maybe that's just my imagination. Especially since the island's unexpected inhabitants took us back a little._

 _Gathering. I suppose this could count as one of the more important duties. Not all of us can do it, usually it's just Red, Leaf, Drew, and sometimes Misty or Ash who like to tag along and learn about herbs. The job is pretty much a search for herbs, materials, and possibly fruit. Though, I think that everyone forgot about the mango tree it may be that we're avoiding it because of the random attacks occurring deep in the woods. Farther in you get, the more at risk your life is. Especially if whoever you're with doesn't know how to fight properly._

 _Hunting. The job that we're currently struggling with. Of course, most everyone is doing a great job of helping fish. But, the fish won't last forever and the ocean will be too cold to walk in. In fact, our clothes may not be able to help us through the weather. We haven't found any other 'real life' creature other than fish and the possible bird. Maybe we'll come across a deer. Or maybe we'll come across a bear and die. Who knows?_

 _Construction and Crafting. We've gotten off to a pretty good start. Building fires, weapons, even a tarp that will hold our water. I've even got the heat-resistant gloves, so I was planning on melting or molding some sort of tool or weapon that will be helpful. We've also got to get everyone to contribute and get a shelter up. I'm certain that with enough time and dedication, we can do it._

 _Night Watch and Morning Watch. It may not seem important now, but it's a pretty vital position to play. We need to have two people up in case something takes a turn for the worst. So while the rest of us rest, they stay up and then get their rest in the morning or night._

 _Supply Check. That one person who is in charge of keeping track of the entire storage. Telling us what we need, keeping the fire going while people are away, etc. We haven't got much, but soon we will. And when that time comes, we'll need a constant check even more than we already need now._

 _Usually these jobs get rotated frequently among us so that everyone has their fair share of duties. In order to build trust, we've usually been sent out in pairs. However after recent clashing and falling outs with the group-members, topped off with the cannibal attacks, Red decided to change it. I'm certain that at least three or four people will be sent out in one big group. It will probably lessen the chances of one of us turning and decided to assault or possibly kill another. Now that most of the details have been worked out, we-_

* * *

"Hey, answer me." Dawn flinched as he flicked the center of her forehead. Sneezing, she lifted her head from his shoulder and sat up straight. Putting a little bit of distance between them, she brought her legs back up to her chest before turning back to him.

"Yeesh, what was that for?" She grumbled, reaching out and gently slapping the side of his head. An audible grunt came in response along with the rustling of leaves.

"Did you and Lucas actually have a falling out?" He repeated his question with a somewhat serious tone. Through the dark, Dawn couldn't help but examine his profile. Paul stared straight ahead, not even bothering to try to meet her gaze. Concentrating her eyes, she peered closely at him for a quick moment, seemingly analyzing him. His jaw line was much more rough and sturdy compared to Lucas', which was slim and smooth. A good amount of hair hung down from each side of his face, but the rest in the back was sloppily cut so that it no longer brushed against his back or shoulders. Had he cut it himself to keep it out of the way? When did he do that? What a disappointment, it looked oddly nice when it was longer.

"I suppose, but like I said, it doesn't matter... Okay?" The words almost seemed to fly off her lips as if she was used to saying such things. Especially directed towards her relationship with Lucas. Another shiver ran down her spine as yet another wave of cold air rushed through the woods. A pang of regret struck her and as she was about to dwell on it, something tugged harshly at the scarf on her neck. Nearly choking, she coughed several times before feeling a familiar weight beneath her head.

"Whatever. Just don't freeze to death. I don't want to get in trouble." It seemed as if his words were coming out of the mouth of a stubborn little boy. Was this his way of being nice? Usually if she had told anyone else, they'd pry and pry until she finally told them what happened. Although, maybe Paul was better off not knowing about Lucas' apparent hatred for him. As much as she was tempted to move away from him and remind him of her relationship status, his warmth was wonderful. Even though it was selfish to use him for such a purpose, she didn't care. Morning was coming and if she didn't rest soon, she wouldn't be able to get up. How on earth could Lucas come to the conclusion that someone as bitter-sweet as this be a 'depressed attention-whore'?

"It's okay." Dawn smiled, almost burying her head into his shirt. The warmth that was given off was amazing and seemingly brought light to the dark atmosphere. It was almost as if she were at home during the winter, bundled in blankets and drinking something warm like hot-chocolate. One of the only things that reminded her of reality was the fact that the cold wind blew through her beanie and bit at her exposed ears. For a split moment, she wondered how the others were doing. Were they staying warm? Would they get sick? Maybe some of them were laying awake, freezing. Another bit of regret smacked her in the face as she realized how grateful she should be for even the tiniest bit of comfort. Although, there may have be someone like Ash or May who was powering through the night by sleeping. The thought of it made her laugh mentally.

"...What?" For once, she could clearly detect the curiosity in Paul's voice. But, maybe he was only delirious from fatigue and blood-loss. After all, he wasn't necessarily the type of person to care about people's problems. "Hey.." He tapped her gently with his thickly bandaged left hand. Fatigue was clear.

"It's okay." She repeated, slowly taking his hands in hers. He had been through more than anyone else and had gotten into creepy or scary situations since the first day. Hopefully he'd find peace and his outrageous theory was just as unrealistic as it sounded. Dawn's vision fell blurry and the cold that once clung to her seemed to roll right off of her shoulders. Paul's first reply seemed to be another question, but she was so tired that her hearing also dulled. Another murmur. He seemed to have said something else, but she couldn't tell what it was. So instead, she simply repeated herself in an attempt to indirectly reassure him about Lucas. Surely he'd catch onto it soon if he ever figures it out.

"It's okay."

* * *

...

"Ayee..!"

...

"Hey...!"

...

"Get up!"

"Ouch!" Ash huffed and rolled over, holding his sides. Above him stood Misty, her figure blocking the sun from his eyes. Drawing back her foot, she kicked him in the gut once more to get him up. Although her kick that time was more gentle than the first much to Ash's surprise. "Eeye, Mist... What time is it?"

His drowsy yawn obviously irritated her. Misty did seem like a morning person and the one to really get things going, but it was really mean of the others to let _her_ of all people wake him up. Running his hands through his wild, messy black hair, he tried to smooth it down the best he could. Without the proper chance to bathe, his hair was thick with grease. In the flurry to get things together, nobody could do much about hygiene. The best they could do was take cloth, soak it in water, and wipe it over their skin. Even for someone a bit slobbish like Ash, hygiene was beginning to become a big problem.

"I don't know what time it is, but everyone else is already either awake or waking up." Misty snorted, leaning downwards and offering him a hand up. Ash's eyes widened in even more surprise. Usually, she was rough and harsh with him, not exactly bothering to show him acts of kindness. Although, their earlier conversations were nice, she always found a way to beat him up.

"...What?" Ash tilted his head in confusion. Her temper seemed to have been run short after he did that.

"Are you stupid? I'm helping you up." She growled, forcibly taking his hand and pulling him upwards and onto his feet. Not exactly knowing what to say, Ash flashed her his famous goofy grin before bending downwards and picking up his hat. Once his hat was securely on his head, he looked back up at Misty, locking eyes with her. The ginger's eyes were very captivating and distracting, resulting in an even wider empty-headed smile.

"Ash." A small thump to his head broke his concentration. With her arms crossed, Misty nodded towards Drew and May who were currently standing with Leaf and Gary. Gary's eyes were very welcoming as he stopped laughing with Drew and looked his was. In response, Ash gave him a friendly grin before looking at Misty.

"Thanks Mist!" He could have sworn he saw a light red blush appear on her face, but decided to ignore it. Jogging over, he joined Gary and Drew, feeling quite disappointed as May and Leaf walked right past him towards Misty. Ash had wanted to talk with some of the girls as he hardly ever got a chance to get to know them. But he figured that getting closer to the other guys would be a better first move.

"Hey, did you see Paul and Dawn?" Drew murmured, tone lowered. His eyes were narrowed into emerald green slits. Was something wrong? What had happened?

"No, did something happen?" Ash replied, curiously. Straightening his coat before shoving his hands in the pockets of it, he slapped on a little bit more serious look. Concern coated his face, but Gary and Drew didn't seem to be worried. In fact, they both had sly expressions on their faces. Not knowing what was going on was killing him.

"Oh, something happened alright." Gary laughed a little bit, rubbing his hands together to create friction. The morning was just as cold as the night and everyone was clearly affected. Cheeks were red, arms were wrapped around waists, and puffs of cold air flowed from mouths as they opened and spoke. Ash mentally praised himself for being so observant. Since arriving, it almost seemed as if he had gotten a bit smarter from his prospective.

"And Lucas is pissed." Drew added on, muffling a laughter with his wrist. As a gust of icy wind blew through the area again, he watched as the green-haired boy shook slightly. It was then when Ash finally noticed that the thin coat he was usually seen wearing was gone.

"Why is Lucas pissed and why aren't you wearing your coat?" Ash grumbled in confusion, scratching the back of his head. "Where is he?"

"Oh, I gave it to Paul after he collapsed and just wait, you should hear Lucas any minute now." He replied casually, looking around before pointing in the direction of the campfire. "Last night it burned out so Red's relighting it."

"That was nice of you." Ash commented, ignoring the more important part of Drew's explanations. Gary smacked his own forehead before shaking his head and walking off towards the girls. Before joining in on their conversation, he looked back at Drew.

"You explain things to him." The brunette waved before playfully jabbing Misty in the middle of her back. His attempt to surprise her was successful, but Misty immediately got pissed and smacked him several times. Ash smiled slightly at the sight of it, but felt an odd feeling of longing.

"Ash?" Drew spoke a bit louder than before, catching his gaze. Shaking his head, he also gave up on trying to explain the situations to him.

"Look, I think you can figure things out on your own without my help. You're a big boy, right?" The chartreuse haired boy smirked and laughed. Strutting past him, Ash winced as Drew gave him a friendly punch. Once more, he was surprised. He had thought that Drew hated him due to the almost blank looks he'd received from him. Though, it may have just been due to the current life or death scenario. It didn't really feel like that though. In fact, it felt as if he were simply camping with his friends. Surely the others have had that moment where they felt like that too, right?

Sighing, Ash made his way out to the campfire where Drew had directed him. Angry grumbles and growls greeted his ears much to Ash's displeasure. Eyes focusing, Lucas and Red came into sight, just as Drew had said earlier. Lucas was pulling at the scarf around his neck in frustration while Red must have dropped everything just to restrain the boy. Overpowered by the man, Lucas could do nothing but throw a temper tantrum. Most likely about the situation with Paul and Dawn which Ash still knew nothing about.

"Hey, Red!" Putting his best grin on, Ash stumbled over to where the two were. In an attempt to brighten the mood, he decided to completely ignore what was happening. As usual. "Lucas." He nodded to the other black haired boy who was currently in what seemed like range. Due to his recent clashing with Misty, Ash was not on good terms with him. Which was surprising as this was the first time he had ever felt such an emotion towards someone. The negativity he got inside his chest whenever he so much as looked as Lucas made him feel a little guilty. Only a horribly mean person could feel such a way, right?

"Release me, you bastar-"

"Keep your voice down." Red almost snarled, startling both Ash and Lucas. The cold vibe Ash felt from his voice was something that Ash didn't think the man had. It must've been even more scary to be the one it was directed to. Following Red's gaze, his chocolate-brown eyes caught site of Paul and Dawn. Their current position took him back even more than Red's growl.

Smiling to himself, he brushed past Red, who was frowning at Lucas, and Lucas himself, who was silently cussing Paul out. Now standing directly in front of the oak, Ash let his arms sag. Dawn was sitting right beside Paul, head rested on his shoulder. The purple haired boy's head was inclined to his chest with his right hand clutching Dawn's left hand. It was sweet, but Ash couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy. Relaxed, slack looks swept across their faces as they slept. Ever so slowly, he could see their chests and shoulders rise beneath Drew's coat. Beanie falling down her face, Dawn's eyelashes seemed to gently kiss her cheeks and her hair fell down over the coat. Some of it was even stuck to Paul's side. Jealousy... When was the last time he had felt that?

Ash's smile slowly disappeared as he sat down across from the two. Carefree. They looked about as carefree as he was. But maybe later Paul would grumble and smack him in the face while Dawn would stress and fret over Lucas. The moment right then and now... Those two should cherish it. He had left for Kalos to start over again. Meet new people, the one thing Ash absolutely loved to do. There was no point in getting all sad now, it had happened about a month ago anyways. Rubbing his temples, Ash looked away from Dawn and Paul and down at his dirty, slightly damp sneakers.

His girlfriend who he had dumped still haunted him. A mixture of grief and anger was what he felt back then. Those emotions were very foreign to him as he was usually happy. His parents were together, he had food on his plate, a roof over his head, Ash understood that perfectly. Though, others back home figured that he was too absent-minded to realize so. Thinking was a hard thing to do, especially to a certain extent. If you don't say what people want to hear, than nobody will like you. If you are too happy or ignorant than people will get agitated with you. And if you are too pessimistic or smart people will ignore you. However, this island is different.

Shuffling his feet, Ash's eyes followed the clouds of dust that floated up and into the air. Fiddling with the edge of his cap, a light smile easily crept up and onto his face. Here, everyone's flaws were showing and not many of them had experience with surviving in the outdoors. Nobody could call him ignorant or stupid now that they were in the same league. His girlfriend... He'd show her. When he gets back home, he'll use the opportunity to gloat about the new things he's learned. And she would be standing there speechless. Huffing, he sat up straighter with pride overtaking him before calming down a bit more.

Dawn and Paul... They looked so happy. Why would Lucas want to disrupt a moment like this? A moment where two people who were always sending each other vicious looks were now in harmony? Even temporarily, it was nice not to hear his friends panic while the three beat their fists and words at each other. It was all too confusing. Ash found himself staring at Paul after a moment of silence. The boy's hair was shorter than he remembered. Might he have cut it? What would he have cut it with? Had the knives that were carved by Red and Leaf really been that sharp? Did Paul carve his own knife too? Questions overwhelmed his head, forcing a blank look on his face.

"What are you looking at?" A slightly hushed voice forcibly shoved all thoughts out of his head. Flinching a bit, he slowly turned around to face Misty who was standing with her arms crossed.

"Oh? Ah, it's nothing."

"And what's with that look on your face? It sure doesn't look like ' _nothing_ '." Misty exhaled, flopping down on the ground next to him. Her clothes exposed more skin than any of the other girls' outfits. Wasn't she freezing?

"Why do you dress like that?" Ash questioned, absent-minded. Pointing a figure, his eyes were met with a strangely red face of the ginger.

"What the hell do you mean?!" She smacked him on the head with her fist before leaning back and tucking her legs to her chest. Short shorts, a tank top, the typical outfit for a teenage girl. However, considering the time of year, at least the other girls had scarves and hats. This girl was leaving her limbs, face, and neck incredibly bare. It was surprising, even for Ash, that she hadn't gotten sick the five days they'd been here.

"It's just, it's so cold out, Mist. It was even cold in the airport and on the plane, how could you wear that?" Ash rubbed the spot where she had hit him and flashed her a sheepish grin. Her face showed an expression that he could not describe. There was a large mixture of emotions displayed on her face, but anger was one of the big ones. What was she so angry about?

"Well, you know, I didn't exactly plan to take a detour to a inhabited island." Misty rolled her eyes, seemingly looking off into the distance now.

"You don't know if the island is really inhabited." Ash pointed out, trying to sound as intelligent as possible to keep up with her.

"There aren't exactly big signs of civilizations. I'm surprised I can have a good, solid conversation with you."

"' _Good, solid conversation_ '? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Look, you're not the intelligent thinker here." She replied quite bluntly. Something inside Ash ached, but he refused to back down and let her say such a thing to his face.

"You don't know that. I could be a genius or I could be really dumb. It goes either way, besides, I feel that I've gotten a bit better since I first got here." Trying to keep his composure, he clenched his left fist while tightly clutching the side of his hat with his right fist. It hurt a little bit, as he could feel his hair being tugged through the hat, but it helped him stay focused.

"Ash, it's been five days, half of them I wasn't even awake. However, you're behavior on the plane, which I still remember, and now is relaxing but lacking in depth." Misty narrowed her eyes, quickly rubbing her hands on her arms to create warmth.

"Look, _Misty_ , you don't know anything about me!" Using her full name rather than his nickname for her, Ash stood up. Their eyes met for a split moment in complete annoyance and anger with each other. But, just as Ash moved to talk with Gary, he looked back over his shoulder and stuck his tongue childishly out at Misty. His gaze followed over from Misty to Paul and Dawn.

"Be happy." He murmured quietly, relieving himself of the envy he had felt earlier. Walking faster towards Gary and May, Ash slapped a big, goofy grin on his face. It would be wrong to dwell on something that must be worked for. Obviously, Paul did something right. That guy... Was a mystery all together.

"Lucky."

* * *

"Well if it isn't my two little gatherers."

Grabbing both Drew and Leaf by the shoulders, he dragged them into a brief hug. Red ruffled up Drew's hair which he had previously arranged to perfection with the ocean water.

"Dang it, Red!" Drew grumbled, pulling away and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it perfect once more. When he was done smoothing it all out, he looked up at Red with a slightly exasperated look. Sighing, he sat down on the log next to Leaf. Red was currently feeding the fire twigs and leaves as he had just finished rebuilding it. After the fire had gone out, everything was burnt out and out of order. A lot of work was done to fix it all up. That old man even made him, Lucas, and Gary dig the whole new fire pit. They even had to line it with rocks while the girls just sort of sat around giggling. Ash got out of the work too, which was even more irritating.

"Haha, sorry, Drew. Hey, I hope you two don't mind making another supply run. You'd do that for me, right?" Giving them both a warm smile, Red stroked the top of Leaf's head as she nodded. Sighing, Drew figured that he might as well comply with the older man's orders, but not before getting a good explanation out of him.

"Why can't Paul and Dawn do it? They haven't done anything all morning, and they're still sleeping." The chartreuse-haired boy shifted and brought his legs into a more comfortable position. Though he had no place to complain, it just felt good to do it every once in a while. He was thankful that May was busy talking with Gary and Ash over near the clearing, because she would've teased him about it continuously.

"They are..." Red trailed off, glancing around before wiggling a finger. Leaning in closer, Drew stared into the man's brilliant amber colored eyes. They were fascinating in an odd way, very captivating. No wonder he'd often catch Leaf gazing towards the man and even Gary when he wasn't looking. Gary's hair was about the same color as Red's eyes. "Leaf, you too."

His voice interrupted him and soon he found the girl's shoulder to be pressed against his own. Now, the three of them were huddled together in a circle, shoulders touching. Although, Red had to keel down in front of them as they sat on the log. Red's height was a little bit scary despite his friendly face. Observing the man now that they were all close together, he noticed that a beard was beginning to form on his face. Occasionally, he'd accidentally catch him scratching and trying to shave it with a knife. Things like these proved the man's displeasure for the facial hair. The incident from the following morning when he watched Red try and forcibly rip the hair from his jaw were even freakier. Deciding not to think too much about it, he shook his head and listened to what Red had to say.

"I'll just come out and say it.. Those two are going to be getting a bit of... special treatment." Red murmured, still keeping his eyes trained on Lucas, who he had forced to take a silent cool down over on the other log across from them. Due to Lucas' recent reactions to Paul's words and actions, Red was obviously too afraid to let him out of his sight. Which was a first act of distrust coming from the man, much to everyone's surprise. It must be harsh for him, though. Getting treated like an outsider and shunned to the corner. Pity struck Drew in the face before he shook his head even harder trying to focus on Red.

"What do you mean...?" Leaf's hushed voice came out with curiosity evident.

"They fight a lot, there's drama, people make rash decisions, and let's just say, they get into trouble no matter where they go or what they do. I'm confining them to the camp for the time being." Red pulled away once he finished speaking leaving both Drew and Leaf with shocked expressions on their faces. There was a period of silence, only the blowing, whistling wind and the crackling fire could be heard. Aside from the low hum of Ash, May, Misty, and Drew's conversation which took place away from the fire and just outside the entrance to the clearing and the big oak. Finally, Drew decided to speak up.

"Confining them?! So you're pretty much suspending them from doing anything to help us survive?!" Drew accidentally let out an enraged tone, surprising Red.

"Drew..." Leaf simply looked up and between the two of them with nervous eyes. Lucas snorted before looking away while Red just locked eyes with Drew. His eyes were very calm and almost pacifying to Drew's unreasonably random anger. Why was he so angry? Even Drew himself didn't know the answer to that.

"It'll be temporarily, especially for Paul who lost a lot of blood that night. As for Dawn, maybe I'll have Leaf, Misty, or Gary teach her how to fish around the campsite before the weather gets too cold. After all, we're running low on food as well." Red's explanation was not unreasonable. In fact, it was perfectly in order and must have been thought through carefully.

"I see.." Drew quietly replied, nodding in understanding and respect for their leader.

"I'm glad you understand, any questions before I give you two a task?" He almost seemed like a professional at this. It was astounding that he could be so calm, even when he had yelled at him only minutes ago. Drew shrugged before looking at Leaf. She said nothing, only shaking her head before looking at Red to continue.

"Good, I need you two to gather some more herbs, just in case something happens. Maybe some edible things like berries and even see if you can revisit that mango tree. I trust that you two are good with identification and know what you are doing?" Eyeing them up and down, Red stood up, moving to sit back down by the cutting log. There, he began to strip a dark gray, lengthy-looking fish of it's scales.

"Yes... we'll do our best. When did you catch that?" Leaf softly questioned, peering intensely as he cut off the head. Drew remain silent as he did not know what else to say. Everything was confirmed and the only thing left to do was set out on their little adventure.

"Oh, this? Just a moment ago after I got Lucas to sit down." His reply was like a trigger word. Muttering the words, 'okay, thank you', Leaf grabbed Drew by the arm and dragged him off into the woods.

"Hey, Leaf! Cut that out!" Her grip was strong yet somewhat soft and what was even more shocking was that she voluntarily touched him. Something that he knew that the Leaf of several days ago would have never done. This girl.. She's made so much progress in just five days. Smiling to himself, Drew let her pull at his arm until the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath their feet came to a halt. Wordlessly, Leaf released his arm, wandering over to a tall, skinny tree.

"Found it."

* * *

 **FINALLY.**

 **YES.**

 **YES.**

 **CHAPTER 19 IS OVER.**

 **To be honest, I really didn't enjoy writing this chapter as much as I did the last couple chapters. However maybe that was just because of my other work and crap like that. Eheheueh**

 **So... I don't have much to say this chapter and the suspense for this was horrible, so I apologize for it. SOOOO..**

 **Now that I feel high or something, idk, let's go through what we know.**

 **Ash has a girlfriend! *Gasp* No, just kidding, he _had_ a girlfriend who he dumped for reasons unknown to us... uhuhuhu.**

 **Paul gave himself a freaking haircut. As dawn described, it's shorter than it is in his official character design. The only hair he left alone was the hair which hangs down over his temples on the side of his face. Maybe I'll do a little bit of art and post it just to show what everyone looks like now, idk, just an idea.**

 **Leaf found something that's... I don't know.. .huheuhueheuh, you'll just have to find out.**

 **MAJOR IKARISHIPPING MOMENT HUEHUEHUE!**

 **I have a weird habit of typing weird laughs ^^**

 **Lucas is pissed. Like, when I say pissed,... I. Mean. Pissed. But don't worry, Red's taken control.**

 **Oh! Here's a good one, this one's important. Red has officially banned Paul and Dawn from leaving the camp or his watch until further notice.**

 **Alright, that's it for now. Oh- yeah, also, noting The Red Ache arc, starting the next chapter, I will do at least one section per chapter just centered around Red, or from his prospective. Be prepared for a whole lot of deep thinking... They all just love to think, even Ash, don't they?**  
 **Until next time!**

 **Please feel free to leave a review, tell me what you think!**

 **Thanks!**

 **Bear~!**


	20. Chapter 20

**The 20th chapter is here .o.!**

 **Sorry, it's pretty late!**

 **Writing, writing, writing... Yeah, I know, I really got to skip the romance and get to the plot ^ ^'**

 **I'm trying! Uhuhuhuh.. But there's so many good side stories..**

 **Gratitude/Comments:**

 **Uhh... Let's see...**

 **Cid Neha, thanks for reading and reviewing again c: And yus, yus, Ashy-boy has... well, had a girlfriend.**

 **Kindness Over London, thanks for reviewing and reading! I'm glad you decided to start reading my story ^ ^! Maybe one day there will be a little Pokemon action, but we won't know unless the mystery of the Pokeball is revealed. Thanks, thanks, and I suppose I'll consider a yaoi with Paul and Lucas but I'm afraid I'll scare some people off. After all, I can write some _pretty weird_ stuff... ehehuehu.**

 **Thank you, thanks, Mr Squirtle6! I'm glad that you think what I'm doing is right ^-^!**

 **Thanks for sticking around and reviewing again, MarronChestnut c:! There will definitely be more ships other than contest and hopefully there will be room for more ikari too! Maybe I'll shove contest to the side and focus on the main stuff, sounds good, right?**

 **Hello, hello, Alpha The Loyalist ^ ^! I'm happy that you recognize Reddur as the top dog, uhuheuehu. Thanks again for you comments, reading, and reviewing. Yes, it's Ikari-shipping which is one of the best in my personal opinion. You'll get it eventually. Once last thing.. What the heck is a "Myer Briggs" personality profile ^-^'?**

 **PolarDawn, thanks for making time for this fanfiction despite your schedule. Thanks again for your comments c: Sorry, sorry, the survival point got shoved into the corner again for Ash and Lucas' slight character development... I promise I'll get back to it, though! Trust me? . ?**

 **Thank you for another great critique, BananaBomb! I've thought about, it and figured I really should include more characters. So this chapter, although I didn't dedicate a whole chapter to the characters hanging about the shadows, I had them help a little with Ash's section of the story... Since, you know, I think I'll take it slow and do character prospectives and stories one by one. Oh- and I promise that I'll really get things going. I'm sort of flailing around here you know, but thanks for everything! Staying on the survival aspect is sort of hard since there's so many options of things to write about. But, like I said before, I'm going to get back to it quickly!**

 **Guest... I'm so glad that you like my first fanfic C:! I will always try to port even if my reviews aren't the greatest. After all, flames are what help one grow, yes?**

 **Alright, I'm done. So I guess with that, we can move on. I think I'll start out with Leafy da Leaf and get back to the next part of the Red Ache... I'm sorry for short sections .**

 **Onto the chapter!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

 _I don't own Pokemon._

* * *

 _Chapter 20:_

 _'Found it.'_

"Hm?" Shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, Drew made his way over to where Leaf crouched. He followed her eyes to a long, curved wooden stick which was coated in mud and dirt. It looked well-sculpted despite the beaten up look it was given. The wood was a dull, dark musty color and seemed to be slowly rotting away. Stretching from the top all the way to the bottom was what looked like a nylon string. Eyes widening in surprise, he could only question what he already knew. "What... Is that?"

"A bow and arrow, of course.." Leaf murmured, picking up a small, thin twig and jabbing the side of the wood. Her eyes must be very sharp as the bow was half buried in the ground. How long had it been here? Were there any arrows? Did this mean that there were once others here? How long ago? Drew's head began to ache with all the curiosity overtaking his mindset.

"Should we pick it up...?" She slowly began to reach forward to grab the bow as she spoke. Suddenly, Drew's body began to move on it's own, shooting his hand out, he roughly grabbed her wrist. "Eh?"

"Something planted it there... And if I'm wrong, something is waiting to trap us." Drew pulled her behind him before letting go. Leaf began to rub her wrist, expression changing from surprise to deadly. Ignoring it, he sniffed and looked a bit more carefully around the bow. A slight lump in the leaves and grass around the bow was visible, slightly raising his suspicions. The air was dry and crisp, fitting the current weather and atmosphere. Wind whistled in his ears and blew at his hair as he stood. Leaf was completely silent, most likely waiting for him to say something else. Though, there was another scent which was very familiar. It was sickening and almost made his heart halt.

Blood. Again. Looking closer, the 'mud' which sprayed and covered almost half of the bow was darker and a bit redder than brown. Bloodied scents that filled his nose and caused it to wrinkle were stale. They were old, but probably couldn't be much older than a day or two old. How he knew that? It rained and filled the tarp two days ago. Afterwards, everyone was soaked and miserable until the rain slowed quickly to a drizzle and the sun came out to dry them. Rain would have washed it away so it must've been recent.

"It's more or less fresh." Drew sighed, bringing his hand up to his mouth and closing his eyes.

"Oh..? It is?" Leaf's voice was soft, but it didn't seem to shake at all. Scanning her with his eyes, he observed her physical features. Unlike May, she had a small, petite figure and a delicate-looking face. She resembled Dawn in many ways, but Dawn was a bit less careful and her features were those that could immediately made you swoon or put you in a good mood. Leaf, however, could calm you down and sort of put you into a daze. Being around her was a totally pacifying feeling compared to the upbeat, optimistic aura that came off of Dawn. It really surprised Drew that someone like Gary would fall for someone like Leaf. Although, given his personality, he may just be naturally like that. Honestly, Drew himself would rather prefer someone with a little bit of a sharp tongue. One that would fight back instead of cry about it as his last couple lovers had.

"Whoa-! What the hell are you doing?!" While he had been thinking, he had unconsciously began to stare into space. He hadn't noticed that Leaf had moved past him and closer to the tree. She was now crouched down beside the bow, but her movement halted as Drew had shouted out.

"I'm touching it, obviously." Leaf replied bluntly. The look on her face seemed to be mocking him as she raised an eyebrow.

"Don't do that!" Drew quickly rushed forward and smacked her hand away from the bloodied bow.

"... Why?"

"Why?! It should be obvious!" His attempt to drag her away failed as Leaf's feet shot out from beneath her and planted themselves in the ground. All the strength that she had built up in her legs took Drew back a bit as he released her and fell backwards into the grass. "Shit." He grumbled, arching his back and reaching back to touch it.

"Don't tell me what to do... Please don't touch me without my consent either, thank you." Leaf smiled slightly before offering him a hand up. Rolling his eyes, Drew took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. This girl was surprisingly like May. Although, May would've loomed over him and stomped on his stomach while he was already down. The thought of it made him laugh a little bit. Not that he was masochistic, of course.

"Do as you please, it's your fault if you see what shouldn't be seen." Drew waved his hand, leaning against a massive, dark brown tree. Like the big oak, it's roots sprouted and broke free of the earth while spiraling atop the surface. They were big enough to sit on, but it didn't exactly look very comfortable. Leaf said nothing else in response, only creeping closer towards the bow. He watched as a slightly disgusted expression spread across her face as she began to reach for the bow. His teeth found his tongue and began to dig into it as her hand came closer.

Suddenly, she pulled backwards and in a blur, Leaf's leg swung backwards before her foot connected with the lump of leaves surrounding the bow. Leaves flew up and around her as Drew stood up and slowly began to walk towards her. A thud of the skinny tree in front of them sounded out after a majority of the leaves settled to the ground. Focusing his eyes, he peered at the strange object before him. Emerald-green eyes widening, he roughly grabbed Leaf by the shoulders and pulled her back before slapping his hand over her own eyes.

"... Didn't I tell you not to touch me?" Her voice was slightly bitter, but held a certain amount of confusion to it as well.

"Sorry... Just, don't look. Gary will kill me if you do." Drew scowled slightly, making sure his hand completely blocked out her vision. Rose-red blood coated the grass which the leaves once covered. Some of it was dry and some of it was fresh, most likely because of Leaf's kick. Slumped against the tree was a severed hand. He felt like throwing up, but he couldn't do that just yet. The hand was slim and feminine, though it looked frozen in place now. It reached out, and it looked as if it's earlier position was desperately reaching for the bow. Too small to be a woman's, too slim to be a man's, too soft-looking to be a teenager's. This hand most certainly belonged to a young child. Shivering, he kept his hand over Leaf's eyes and slowly backed up and away from the hand and the bow.

It was not intentionally planted there, it was dropped there. What had happened to the body? How had such a young one gotten here in the first place? Eyes narrowing, he directed Leaf towards the larger, darker tree before taking a deep breath and wordlessly shuffling towards the thin tree.

"Drew..?" Leaf began to turn around.

"Stop!" Freezing, she slowly turned back around.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to!" Drew snapped, voice filled with pity and stress. She seemed to jump in surprise almost as soon as he had said that. It seemed to surprise him too, as he had never had to use such a demanding tone with her. If he exposed and traumatized her, Gary would never forgive him.

"I see..." Leaf trailed off, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. Giving an exasperated sigh, Drew crouched in front of the hand and the bow. Of course, as much as he wanted to hold the small hand in his, nobody was there to feel is and the bugs were probably digging and eating away at the flesh. Shaking the thought away from his mind, a gentle expression crossed his face. What kind of person or creature would do such a thing? It had to be the work of what Paul described on the third day as, ' _those cannibalistic savages.'_ Frowning, he reached out and grasped onto the smooth, cold wood of the bow.

"Forgive me." Drew muttered, tearing the bow from the ground and standing up. Having a good weapon would prove to be useful, especially since they don't have much material to work with. Any scrap metals from the plane would be hard to work with unless proper equipment was crafted. And as far as Drew knew, none of the survivors in the group had the gloves or talent to work with intense heat. The bow, which may or may not have belonged to the child, was special. At least, it was to him. Kicking leaves over the bloodied, lifeless hand, he made sure that it was completely concealed by the multicolored fronds.

"Leaf." His voice was louder and firmer this time. Running his fingers over the stained nylon string, he called out to her. With no arrows, the bow would be useless. But, surely Red or Paul could come up with something. After all, how hard could making an arrow be?

"May I open them?" Slowly, her right eye lid lifted, revealing her jade stare. Nodding, Drew slung the bow around his shoulder and tapped her shoulder.

"We're going, alright?" Leaf's response was low, but it sounded a lot like an 'okay'. His throat felt very scratch and dry. Sooner or later, they'd have to look for another source of water. Relying on rain wouldn't work as there was not an abundant amount. They'd have to risk abandoning camp and the shelter of the big oak by going to the lake. The only problem is that the area around the lake is unexplored, and more creatures are likely to be hanging around the lake. At the beach, it was safe and at the clearing it was relaxing. Sand was itchy, but it felt good to feel as the sun warmed it up later in the day. Would moving camp to the lake really be worth it? Because of the random attacks, the forest could just barely be trusted. Could they really trust the trees and the plant-life to shelter them and bring them safety? Coughing, he cleared his mind. Mentha arvensis... Better known as wild mint or corn mint. A medical herb that is used to help coughs, digestion problems, aches, pains, and clearing out gall bladder problems. Knowing his parents, he flinched realizing how much they'd drilled into his mind.

"Let's go back for now." Drew decided aloud, putting his hand on her shoulder. Leaf quickly pulled away from him and sent him a glare.

"You just love touching me, don't you?" She sighed, walking ahead of him in the direction of the ocean. Even far away, the sound of the crashing waves were audible. Somehow, it was reassuring.

"Sorry." Jogging to catch up with her, Drew let his hand fall to his side. Taking one last glance over his shoulder to where the pile of leaves lay, he closed his eyes and smiled. There was no use dwelling on something that he was not even apart of. At the foot of the skinny tree, a child would rot away. A child would rot away from many peoples' memories and into the soil. However, a piece of that child would be forever in his memory and stuck to him. The bow. Running his fingers along the curved wood of the bow which rested on his shoulder, he looked forwards. For that child...

Move on.

* * *

"I wonder how my family's doing.."

"Don't worry, Mist! I'm sure they're fine!" Ash grinned at the ginger, feeling immense relaxation as the warmth of the fire engulfed him. It almost seemed to create a warm barrier which shielded him from the cold wind.

"Well, I know my family's fine since my dad's there. Hopefully my little brother is doing well." May sighed, fiddling with her dirty red bandana which was still securing her makeshift splint to her broken arm. At the moment, everyone was tired and even May had a worn out look on her face.

"My mom is pretty good at handling the family!" The raven haired boy couldn't help but smile at the thought of his mother running around, caring for both him and the house early in the morning. He missed being gently woken up by his mother and being pestered to clean up and get to school on time.

"Ash, what about your dad?" Misty questioned. She was currently laying on the third log which was just right of May, left of Lucas, and right in front of him. Paul and Dawn were still somehow sleeping, honestly, how late did they stay up and what on earth were they doing? And Red was trying to fish which was surprising as he didn't think that there'd be many opportunities to fish in the current weather. Everyone except for Gary who was sitting next to Lucas was split apart. Seemingly cautious faces were displayed opening when they first settled in that afternoon, but by now most of the wariness and tension had dissolved.

"'Dunno, he sort of ran off to get a cake for us a couple years back." Ash replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Cake?" Gary raised an eyebrow. His posture was very slack and bored-looking. For the past half hour or so he had been silently staring into the fire and having separate conversations with Lucas. In a way, it surprised Ash that he would actually partake in a conversation involving him and Misty.

"Yep! When he gets back, I'll get to eat a seven tier chocolate and strawberry cake!" A wide smile spread across Ash's face as he thought about it. Licking his lips, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine it right in front of him.

"Ash, what are you, two?" Misty snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Whoa, seven?! I'm super envious!" May leaned forward and jokingly pouted before laughing a little bit. Resting her broken arm back on her thigh, she sighed. It had been a little bit since she had broken it and yet the pain was still there. The medical treatments that Red and Drew tried to give her didn't seem to work at all. By now, the tears had stopped and she was used to the pain. Drew... That man-whore owed her big time for failing to catch her. Chuckling a little bit, May averted her gaze from her splint and settled it on Ash again.

"You don't have to be, I'll make sure to invite you all when I get it, May!" Tipping his cap upwards, Ash flashed them all a big grin which made Gary roll his eyes, Misty look away, and Lucas snort.

"Haha, really?" May returned the grin, running her fingers through her greasy hair. It had seemed like forever since she'd last washed it. A small sigh escaped her mouth.

"Yeah!"

"Ash, if it's been several years since your dad disappeared, don't you think that he's not coming back?" Misty directed the cake discussion back to the real topic. The ginger's eyes narrowed as she scanned Ash's care free-looking face. He seemed so innocent, but it wouldn't be long before someone like Lucas or Paul tainted it.

"Why would I think that? My mom assures me that he's going to come back with that big cake!" Ash stretched his arms out as if to emphasize the size of the cake.

"Oh... Haven't you lost hope yet?" She murmured quietly, shifting in her seat.

"Nope!"

"Why?" May curiously interjected. Her eyes met Misty's and sent her a look which begged the fiery teenage girl not to say anything. Misty inhaled before bringing her head down to rest in her hands. Feeling a bit drowsy, she tried her best to keep herself awake.

"Because even if he doesn't come back, I love him and I believe in him!" Ash looked a bit more serious now, but his smile was as genuine as ever. Inside, Misty felt a pang of pity for him.

"Ash..."

"Ha. You should just give up on him now." Lucas grumbled, with a slightly irritated expression on his face. Even though his tone was icy, somehow, he failed to kick the smile off of Ash's face. This woke Misty from her five second moment of rest. Something blazed through her veins, but she was clueless as to why.

"Lucas!" Misty hissed, sitting up and clenching her fists. Her extreme hatred for him was beginning to surface as she locked eyes with him. Lucas simply ignored her warning, looking intensely at Ash while fixing the scarf around his neck.

"Lucas, stay out of it, it's not worth it." Gary muttered under his breath, gently elbowing him in the side. The spiky haired brunette's voice seemed almost as disinterested as Lucas'.

"Why should I give up on him?" Ash inquired, warm gaze not faltering. Even though he looked completely unfazed by Lucas' abrupt comment, it felt as if something sharp was poking at his heart. Uncomfortable, he fiddled with a loose piece of bark on the log he was sitting upon.

"Because if you don't...-"

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Misty roared, cutting the other black haired boy off. Lucas lifted his chin from the nook in his scarf in surprise. Her sudden outburst took everyone back, but he quickly let go of the feeling of tension building from within and slapped on his usual expression.

"Mist, stop!" Scowling, Ash shot a disapproving look towards her. From beside him, Gary was biting his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything to make the situation worse and laughing. Snorting, Lucas turned his head away from Gary before letting a small smile grace his lips. At least one person had his back.

"Ash, this sharp tongued retard doesn't know anythin-" This time, Misty was cut off by none other than Ash.

"Mist." He called her out, shaking his head. Gritting her teeth, the ginger mentally readied herself to snap back.

"Don't be so harsh on him!" May's eyebrows furrowed together as slight pity for Lucas hit her. A worry for both Lucas and her friend was rising in her chest and making her head hurt. Now was not the time to start fights with each other, especially with the weather getting colder and resources running low. Was she the only one who had survival as the main focus point in her head?

"Stay out of this, May!" Misty ordered, putting more awkward tension into the atmosphere.

"Misty, you don't have the right to be involved either!" Now shouting, Ash spoke the truth. Fed up with her current behavior, he slammed his foot into the sand, spraying the tiny, loose pieces of rock everywhere.

"..." Speechless, she shut her mouth in response. Her jaw clenched tightly as she fought the urge to yell back. Lowering her head, she looked towards the ocean. The once calm waves that brushed the seashore now crashed and beat at it. It was somehow fitting to the current situation.

"I'm sorry, Lucas, she's being a bit difficult." Ash apologized, smiling gently towards the black haired boy who hesitated before returning the friendly look.

"Oh? I thought you didn't like me?" A amused tone took his voice as he fixed his hair before crossing his arms.

"When did I say that?"

"It was hinted in your behavior." Lucas laughed light-heartedly, leaning backwards a bit. Remorse was evident in Ash's gaze, but Lucas decided to say nothing that could surely go unspoken. For a minute, everyone was silent as nobody dared add on or retort to his reply. Coughing, Ash rubbed the back of his neck before opening his mouth to speak.

"As you were saying..?" Shuffling his feet in the sand, it was clear that he was trying to break the strained aura that everyone, even Gary, was giving off. The other black haired boy was confused as to why Ash would even want to hear what else he had to say. Raising both eyebrows, he flashed a questioning look towards him. "I'm a little curious." He shrugged, snapping a strip of bark off of the log he was sitting on.

"You should give up on your dad." Lucas replied simply, a solemn look coated his face. Twiddling his thumbs, Ash noticed that his behavior was suddenly less confident. It looked as if he was actually nervous to say it, though he looked so emotionless and blunt earlier. Mentally laughing, Ash observed that his behavior and habits were almost exactly like Paul's. Strong at one moment, unsure at another.

"And why is that?" Ash smiled once more. Around him, nobody dared interrupt their current conversation. The words flowed and came smoothly out of Ash as he questioned Lucas. All eyes were on the two of them, but most of them held some sort of warning. Almost as if they were just waiting for Lucas to say the wrong thing. With suspense building up by the seconds, he could for some reason hear his own heartbeat. What was he so afraid of hearing? That his dad was never coming back again? Yeah, he knew that it was most likely that, but believing in his father was the only thing that could keep him sane in the cruel world in which they somehow live in.

"Because if you don't.."

"Go on, why are you hesitating?" Ash's eyes brows knitted together a little bit as he awaited Lucas' response. He flinched as a cold wave of air hit his back and the warmth of the campfire and sun grew. Looking around quickly, he tried to look at someone to rid himself of the strained feeling he was getting. May looked just as awkward and was looking away all together while Misty kept her head low, trying to pretend not to notice the current exchange between him and Lucas. And Gary had a look which implied that what was going on was practically entertainment for him. That guy confused him as he had an odd love for drama. Shaking the thoughts away, Ash focused his gaze back on Lucas. "Well?"

Taking a deep breath, whatever Lucas had to say seemed to be pushing him to the edge. Ash's skeptical look vanished and was now replaced with great confusion and frustration. Was nobody else uncomfortable and stressed with it? Or maybe everyone already knew what he was going to say? Not knowing something... Not knowing something that everyone knew... He hated it. It was the worst. Was it some sort of big secret? Why was he the only one that seemed genuinely confused?!

 **"Spit it out, damn it!"** Ash nearly screeched.

"You'll cry for someone who never bothered to cry for you!"

* * *

...

"It's almost like I'm a daddy of nine." Grunting, Red threw all his strength and accuracy into the spear he was holding. Bringing it down, he just barely missed a fish that slipped and wiggled it's way across the ocean floor. He was sitting on the big rock just off of the sandbar which led to the drop off. Shivering, he ripped his spear from the sand and the water, bringing it up onto the surface of the big rock. Red set it down before sighing and clutching his sides tightly. His pants were cold, wet and stuck to his skin as he had to wade out just to get to the fishing spot.

"It's rough, I have to feed and protect all these mouths." The man complained to the sky, gazing upwards. Shaking his head, he looked to his left where two small fish lay, dead. They were small, but at least it was something, right? No. Those fish would never do... Groaning, Red picked up the spear and shifted back into a crouching position. There must be a bigger fish somewhere, and if he had to wait all day to catch it, then he'd suck it up and do so.

"Have you been listening to me? Have you been thinking of me? Have you been watching me?" Red muttered, scanning the water for signs of life. Icy wind blew and seemingly jabbed at his exposed flesh as he crouched. His face, wind burnt, was beginning to hurt him more than his head did. He felt miserable, but of course, there was no one he could complain to other than himself. Moving closer to the edge of the rock, Red waited. He waited. And he waited. For what seemed like minutes, hours, but in reality, only an hour and a half had passed.

"Damn." Sitting up, he turned to the two dead small fish before running his hand through his hair. He'd have to head back very soon before the fish spoiled. However since he had stuck the second spear into the cracks of the rocks and hung his hat from it, they were in a good amount of shade. In this weather, it was also almost impossible for it to spoil do to heat. If only he had ice, then they would be perfectly preserved. But, there was a big risk of the fish going bad. Quickly... Just fifteen more minutes. That was all he was going to give himself to catch a big fish.

Pursing his chapped lips, Red concentrated everything on the waters laying before him. His hair fell over his face as he leaned closer to the edge of the rock. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw a black shadow shoot by. Scooting to the right, his heart leaped a little from inside. There was something real nice lurking in the shadows of the sea. Smiling to himself, he quickly looked up at the sky as it came into sight.

"Send me luck, honey." He whispered before pulling his arm back and throwing the spear towards the shadow. Much more spirited than before, he smiled as his fingertips left the spear and water sprayed up into the air. Red hopped off of the rock, now knee deep in the water. It was as cold as ever and sent chills down his spine. The spear he had thrown stuck up out of the water, tilted slightly downwards as he had thrown it at an angle. Making his was towards it, Red pulled his legs through. His feet felt like weights were tied to them and the fabric of his pants slowed his movement even more. A shiver crept up his spine again as he pried the spear out of the water and reached for the shadow.

Pulling the fish out of the water, he raised it above his head and inspected it. Frowning, he backed all the way up until his back was pressed against the big rock. Red let his arms sag, loosening his grip on the fish he had caught. Slumping, he picked up his things and tossed them onto the big rock before hoisting himself up onto it. The fish, a pompano which was on the smaller side of the scale. It could feed the ten of them a little bit, but wouldn't do much, considering the appetites of the adolescent children.

Red pulled his hat off of the spear and put it back on his head. Gathering the fish, he stuck them one by one on the first spear before picking up the second and hopping back down into the water. Even if he was lucky enough to catch something in general, Red couldn't help but be frustrated with the outcome of his time spent fishing. He tread through the water, not bothering to roll up the legs of his pants. Disappointment crept up and pried at his chest, but upon sight of the campfire and the teenagers sitting around it, he decided to shove the feeling aside.

The waters rippled and made soft sounds as he pulled through towards shore. Wind was as freezing as ever and continued to bite at his exposed flesh. Sunlight that once brought him warmth was no longer on him. Clouds coated the sky and the waves lapped at his legs. Soon enough, he was back on shore, hauling his body towards the fire where the others sat.

Gary looked over his shoulder as Red silently made his way to the cutting log. He seemed to be the only one that noticed him as the attention of the others were focused on Ash and Lucas. The atmosphere was uncomfortable and thick as he knelt and began to strip the first fish of it's scales. Leaf's now dulled fillet knife was beginning to become brittle. Soon it would need to be sharpened or re-crafted. Red had a bit of trouble cutting through the fish, but managed to make do with the tool. He sighed. If Dawn was awake then she could work and make a nice weapon or tool with her gloves. Those gloves were convenient as they would eventually need to work with hot metals left over from the plane but, it would be difficult to actually put them to use, especially since resources were a bit worry.

There were so many things to be done but there weren't enough supplies or tools to do much. The thought of his responsibilities and limited supplies made everything seem much worse. Rinsing his hands, with a little sea water, he cut through the fish's head and set it to the side.

"If you don't, you'll cry for someone who never bothered to cry for you!"

Red stopped, eyes wide he looked up to see Lucas with a bright red face and a stiff posture. What exactly was going on? His eyes narrowed as he halted his movements. Nobody said anything else, leaving Lucas' comment to linger. A sudden pang of sorrow and self-pity ran through Red. Closing his eyes, he stood up, leaving the half-filleted fish.

"Gary." He yawned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Oh?" Gary turned to face him. The man's voice attracted the attention of everyone sitting around the campfire. All eyes rested on him as they waited on him for a response. Taking off his hat, he ran his fingers through his straight black hair. Unlike Ash's, his hair was flatter, darker, and less wild.

"Could you possibly finish this?" Red pointed to the fish. As soon as the boy nodded, he smiled and took off towards the beach in a hurried walk. Back turned, he let the warm smile slip off his face and form a slight scowl. He rushed off towards the far end of the beach to think. Sand sprayed up from beneath his feet and his hair blew in the wind. His face was as wind burnt and dry as ever while his eyes carried bags from fatigue. Making sure he could still smell and see the smoke, Red flopped down on the sand.

The young man reached up and pulled at his scalp in discontent. Tossing his head back, he howled and roaring in rage. Red released all of his pent up stress and anger while furiously beating the sand with his fists. Like a child throwing a temper tantrum, Red wailed over the wind as loud as his vocals would let him go. His lovely fiancé was somewhere doing god knows what while he simply sits around and babysits a couple of teenagers. He felt urges to childishly complain but of course, nobody was around to hear him. His mother was not there to hold him while he rested his head on her shoulder and his fiancé was not there to comfort him either.

"Fuck it all!" He cried, taking fistfuls of sand and chucking it into the water in front of him. Was she watching? Was she thinking? Had she cried for him? Because he certainly cried for her. Red thrashed around wildly before yelling out one last time and falling backwards onto the soft, embracing sand. There, he lay on his back, looking up at the cloud covered sky.

Regaining composure, Red sighed before letting his right hand fall to cover his eyes. He shut his eyes and yawned again, shuffling his legs to feel the grains of sand running along his skin. Everyday he'd somehow find himself thinking about her. There was no escape for him and it was only days until they'd all drop dead. Sounds of creatures that sounded an awful lot like bird Pokemon screeched and tweeted, their voices ringing as they called out to him.

"I love you." He muttered, lifting his hands from his eyes and slowly sliding his black and silver ring from his finger. She was still wearing her ring, right? Even if the wedding had been called off, it still meant a lot to her, right? That thought continuously pounded in his head and there was not a second where it did not go unnoticed. Red held his engagement ring up to the sunlight. It gleamed and sparkled in his eyes as he took a moment to simply gaze at it and calm himself down.

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." The man whispered over and over repeatedly. Red sat up, slipping his ring back onto his finger and shaking the sand from his hat and hair. His heart ached as he looked up to see the ocean with it's waves tumbling and crashing upon contact with the beach. Their wedding was supposed to be near the sea during the day where the sunlight would shine down on them. Being bound to her for all eternity was one of the very few things he dreamt of since the day he met her. But, no, a certain plane just had to crash the day before he'd claim her for himself. "I miss you..."

Now done with his sulking, Red stood, shaking the hot tears that he'd accidentally let fall from his eyes away. A sigh passed through his lips as he pat himself down, ridding his clothes of the sand which clung to him. Leaf... He wanted very badly to see the girl who slightly resembled his fiancé. Stumbling into a smooth, relaxed walk, Red headed back to the camp. His once lazy, sad wander turned back to a quick, confident stride. Pushing all of his emotions aside, the campfire came into view.

"Red!"

Leaf, who was originally crouching beside Gary at the cutting log and trying to lecture him on how she would fillet a fish, stood up. Her face lit up as soon as her eyes caught his. The smile on his face was a bit pained as he saw the clear resemblance between his fiancé and the teenager standing before him. However, he pushed the thought out of his mind to concentrate on the current moment.

"Oof!" Red grunted as the small girl practically threw herself at him. A shocked expression crossed his face for a split moment before his usual friendly smile took over. Reaching up, he gently stroked the top of her head with his right hand. Unconsciously, his hand found it's way to the back of her head. Leaf's face was soft and about as delicate as his fiancé's. There were times if he wondered whether or not his daughter in the future would look like her. He felt a lock of her hair trail through his fingers. It was a bit tangled and greasy as to be expected. Suddenly, the repetitive, quick thuds of the fillet knife cutting through fish and hitting the log stopped.

"Old man, you aren't a pedophile or something, right?" Gary grumbled. His hand was frozen in the hair, about to snatch at Red's wrist. However, knowing his place, the younger stepped back and let his arm fall to his side. He averted his eyes, a light pink color dusting his cheeks. Whether it was due to embarrassment or wind burns, Red didn't know. Had that boy always acted like that? The thought of a confident child acting so protective and cold yet sincere made him smile. Brushing off the fact that he had called him a pedophile, Red laughed lightly.

"Of course he's not!" Leaf scoffed, pulling away from Red. She easily seized the fillet knife from Gary's hand before walking off towards the cutting log which was now even more beat up than before because of Gary. Her eyes were sharp and focused now as she continued cutting up the fish, not saying a single word as she worked.

"You sure..?" The spiky haired brunette stared up at him with a skeptical expression displayed on his face.

"Sure of what?" Drew walked up behind them, an irritated look on his face. Red raised an eyebrow and looked straight into Gary's eyes. It didn't take much to turn the group's trust away from him. If that happened, then chaos would follow after and no one would listen to his orders. Rubbing the back of his head, Gary laughed a little bit before looking away from his leader and towards Drew.

"...Sure that we should let Paul and Dawn rest for another hour or two?" Gary replied smoothly, shoving his hands into the pocket of his dark green overcoat. From the corner of his eye, he saw the teenager flash him a small smile which turned from friendly to apologetic.

"I think another hour or two of peace and quiet would be nice." The chartreuse haired boy shrugged, picking dirt and sand from the nails on his left hand. Red rolled his eyes, adjusting his cap a little bit as Gary snorted and nodded.

"I don't think Lucas will hold out for that long. Ash and Misty are still having troubles making sure he stays put." May shoved Drew to the side with her good arm. She swung her way around and in front of him before crossing her arms.

"Hey.." He grunted, shoving her back just as hard. She frowned and stumbled a little, good arm shooting out to try and prevent herself from falling. May held her splint close to her chest until she regain her balance. Once she had a good grip on her balance and control, May dug her foot into Drew's heels, causing him to fall forward.

"Haha, he's a big boy. I'm sure sharing won't kill him." Gary winked, moving back until he was standing beside Red as Drew fell onto his hands and knees. As he watched the two, Red felt that aching burn in his chest return. Was it wrong to be jealous of a couple of teenagers? Yeah... It didn't seem right or mature at all in his own eyes.

"Let them be for a while now. Oh- and did you find anything?" The man rubbed his eyes, glancing in Drew's direction. It was then when he noticed the bow slung around the boy's shoulder. Gary seemed to notice it too as he leaned forward and poked it a little bit. Dried blood was visible as the sunlight beat down on them, giving them a more clear sight of the dark wood.

"Don't touch that!" Drew hissed upon Gary's contact with the bow. He grabbed his wrist with his right hand and roughly twisted it, eyes ablaze.

"Drew!" May exclaimed with a sharp tone.

"Dude, what's your problem?!" The brunette shouted, green eyes widening. Again and again, he flailed his arm about in an attempt to get away from Drew. At the moment, the other teenager's eyes were icy and almost deadly looking. Pain was evident on the boy's face. "He's crushing my wrist!" He could only let out slight choking sounds as Drew swiftly wrapped his left hand around his neck. Gary himself was startled to have been assaulted by a friend and his body was currently weak due to fatigue and lack of food. His thrashing began to slow.

"That's enoug-!" Just as Red moved to restrain Drew, a small blur flew in front of him. Hair flew up and trailed behind the figure as it rushed by. It moved so quickly that a rush of wind, colder than the air hit him like a wave. May looked just as shocked as she was frozen in place, lips still parted open. Hair. Lots of it. Brown hair belonging to none other than Leaf glided through the air like ribbons.

He could only watch as the petite female drew her fist back and slammed her fist down Drew's right shoulder with force. She had applied so much force that Drew, overtaken by surprise, loosened his grip on Gary. Quickly, Leaf moved and let her foot connect with his chest. Releasing Gary, Drew fell backwards onto the sand with a grunt. As soon as he sat up, she was at it, soundlessly lunging forward. Leaf grabbed fistfuls of his shirt before straddling him.

"Leaf!" Red barked, seizing her arm as she made an attempt to punch Drew. A strong, disapproving look appeared on his face as he shook his head. His grip was a little too strong as she winced and began to grit her teeth in pain. Staring straight into her eyes, Red gave her a cold, disciplinary gaze. However, the angered expression faded as her eyes grew glossy and sparkled before several tears slipped out and down her face. Guilt overwhelming him, the man freed her and stumbled backwards. All eyes were now on him.

Meanwhile, Gary sat on his knees in the sand, coughing violently and clutching his neck. May was cautious and a bit hesitant, but she crouched beside Drew and gently rubbed his back with her right hand. Any worry of being seen or misunderstood was clearly out of her head as the current moment was too serious to take sides or argue about it. Leaf stood in front of him with her head hung, rubbing the spot on her arm where he had grabbed her. A bright red mark was visible, making the guilt Red felt worse. Gulping, Red took a deep breath and fixed his slacked posture to a more stiff one.

"You three. Get over here now." He muttered, beckoning Lucas, Ash, and Misty over with a finger.

"Uh... Oh!" They stumbled over their feet, tossing sand and kicking up dirt as they hurried to join the others. Their postures were also stiff and they gave off nervous, slightly terrified auras. Red's eyes narrowed as he had them all group in front of him on the ground. Stepping back, he moved onto a medium-height fat, rugged rock. It was a dusty red color with gray-brown specks scattered upon it. Now receiving their full attention, Red ripping his hat off of his head and glared down at them with stern eyes.

"This... Is beyond chaotic." He scowled at them all. Fear, a look that he never thought he'd have to see on their faces was evident. Pushing emotions away, Red knew that he had to get the point across without making an emotional speech.

"What do you all have to say for yourselves? Drew, what on earth were you thinking? And Leaf, couldn't you have handled that without violence?" Both averted their eyes from him to the ground. Red frowned, tightening his fists. "Don't you dare look away from me, you two, this is serious!" From where he stood, the man watched as their jaws tightened and their lips began to purse.

"I understand that given the situation, your emotions are for whatever reason all out of whack. Believe me, mine are too." He looked down, sending a stiff gaze towards Drew. "Drew, you could have killed him... For something as simple as touching that bow. I'd like to know what happened in the woods and why."

Drew was silent, holding the bow tightly to his chest. Nobody dared say a word for fear that he would lash out at them. The friendliest people were always the scariest when provoked.

"Now, please." Red demanded, crossing his arms.

"Well... Sir, you see.." He bit his lip and closed his eyes, refusing to cry. "When Leaf and I went into the woods, we found the bow in a mound of leaves. Leaf went up and kicked the mound and the leaves revealed a severed hand of a child!"

Drew spoke quickly, shooting out word after word. The man sighed, rubbing his temples before hopping off of the rock.

"So you felt obligated to keep and protect the bow in honor of that child...?" Questions flooded through his head, side by side with terror. These creatures... They were always popping out of nowhere at the worst of times.

"Yes, sir." Drew muttered, lowering his head once more. Red sighed, leaning back and sitting on the rock.

"I see... But I'd like you to get your emotions under check to the best of your ability. Strangling Gary was uncalled for, even if it was an action done on a whim."

"O-of course!" The boy stammered, nervously shuffling his feet in the sand.

"Good. I'll speak with you later about the details of your... discovery later." A small smile appeared on his face. It showed compassion and forgiveness. Though, it disappeared as Red got back to the bigger topic. "We need to maintain order. You all have to get everything under control. Remind yourselves of it every second you've got. I'm sure your parents and friends back home would be very disappointed to see you make rash decisions that could potentially result in the death of another. We are all friends now, right? And if not, we will become companions at the least. We need hunters... But there is no time or resources for those with killer-intents directed towards what could be the people you die next to."

"I will not be punishing anybody this time. I also have much more to say, but those words can be spoken another time. If you have any problems, please come speak to me about it." Silence. Once again, nobody dared to speak against him. It hurt Red on the inside that he had to use fear to instill law into them, but he knew it had to be done.

"Alright, we're done. Thank you for your time. Drew, I'd like to see you." He nodded, smiling as gently as he usually did. Slowly, the group began to break itself apart, still shocked from the recent events. Gary, claiming to want to have a moment alone wandered off to the far corner of the clearing, away from the big oak where Paul and Dawn slept. Leaf must have gone after him, because she kept her head down and mouth shut as she brushed past Red, heading in the direction Gary was walking in. Ash and Misty, clearly as startled as Lucas was made their way back to the campfire with May who looked about as shook up as Drew.

"Red..?" Drew murmured, sitting down in the sand in front of the rock Red was sitting on.

"So you found a severed hand belonging to a child?" He looked down at his hands which were folded neatly in his lap.

"Yes."

"Were there any other things that should be mentioned?"

"No... But the hand seemed to be reaching for the bow." The chartreuse haired boy ran his finger along the wood of the bow.

"Was it... rotting away?"

"No, it was actually quite fresh looking. The blood was pretty recent-looking too." Red's eyes widened. Looking up, he locked eyes with the boy.

"You're serious?"

"Yes." Drew twiddled his thumbs, setting the bow down beside him. It sunk just barely into the string. The afternoon sun that beat down on them was what made him take notice of the nylon string on the bow.

"We'll keep our eyes out... Were there any arrows?" Red kept his voice down a little so that the others would not be able to hear.

"No, I was thinking maybe you or Paul could make some." He replied, taking fistfuls of sand and watching it spill off his palm and onto the beach. Soon enough, the young man found his eyes trained on the grains of sand. Shaking himself into focus again, he began to think about any other important details. Not coming up with anything else, Red sighed.

"You can g-"

"There's something out there." Drew interrupted, eyes narrowed. Clenching his fists, the load of sand he had just grabbed made a loud crunch as he tightened his hold on it. Nodding, Red did not say anything, only closing his eyes and agreeing. Without another word, Drew stood up and limped over towards to campfire to sit down. But, not before picking up his beloved bow.

Letting out a quiet exasperated sigh, Red put his hat back on his head and adjusted it so that it shielded his eyes from the sun once more. He made his way over to the cutting log and sat down, cutting fish, picking bones, and sticking chunks of it on the makeshift wood rotisserie stick. Finishing up Leaf and Gary's work was the least he could do for making the girl cry and causing a big fuss. Over the fire was a second stick that must've had the two small fish he'd caught. Looking over his shoulder, he sighed in relief upon sight of May turning the fish. At first he figured that the fish was burnt without Paul or Gary tending to it. The thought of his hard work and patience being ruined in just seconds made Red flinch.

He continued to pick bones and skewer fish, preparing them for the cooking process. Sighing, he closed his eyes, pausing for a brief moment. So many things to be done. So many things to be handled. So much emotional agony..

"Wish me luck, sweetheart."

* * *

 **Chapter 20 was special so I spent a bit more time on it!**

 **It's over!**  
 **Yep yep!**

 **Next chapter will go into depth of both Paul and Dawn's scene along with what happened with Gary and Leaf.**

 **Emotions are besting everyone and making them act insanely? Just how much more can they take?**

 **What happened this chapter?**

 **Drew and Leaf found a freshly severed hand of a child.**

 **So maybe there were other people? Maybe? At some point in time? Uhuhuhu?**

 **Drew obtained a useful weapon**

 **He went on a rampage as soon as Gary touched it**

 **Leafy Leaf came to Gary's rescue**

 **Red just gave a strict lecture**

 **Resources are incredibly hard to come by**

 **Red has begun to see closer resemblances between his fiancé and Leaf**

 **That's about it...**

 **Eheh.**

 **I SMELL AN OLDRIVALSHIPPING CHAPTER UHUHUHUH**

 **And Dawn and Paul will be forced awake next chapter, eheheh.**

 **Welp... I don't have much else to say.**

 **Until next time!**

 **Feel free to leave a little review c:!**

 **Thanks!**

 **Bear!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 C:!**

 **Thank you for 100 reviews! I honestly never thought I'd get any when I first started this up! So yeah, thanks!**

 **I think I'm going to continue this story but start a new one at chapter 30. Of course, it'll use the Pokemon characters, but I'm not so sure I want to include the Pokemon themselves. What would you guys think of a more medieval story? I was debating whether I really should have two stories going at the same time. So I've decided that I will continue both, but because it's only a few days into their survival, I'm going to time skip at some point so I can bring this fanfic to a wrap. But, hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to do something ridiculous like time skip and then end the fanfic on chapter 22.**

 **In this chapter, there will be a hint or two about Dawn AND Leaf/Gary's life before the Kalos Crash. I'll explain some things to the best of my ability at the end, don't worry.**

 **I've been pretty lazy when it comes to updates, but not to worry, I'll get myself back into the weekly-chapter arrangements soon. I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving or whatever... Well, that's all I have to say xD**

 **Gratitude/Comments:**

 **ElectroPhoenix, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm sure Red will come around soon! He'll have his moment c:**

 **miss ASSASSIN MASTER, thank you for reading and dropping a review! I'm glad you liked it ^-^!**

 **Cid Neha, I'm delighted to hear that you like my story :3 Update coming right up!**

 **Kindness Over London, I'll just go and destroy your theory. Red has no connection to Ash in this story, haha xD. But thanks! I'm happy that you feel both Lucas and Red. #LeafnissEverdeenIsMyBae ):3 So thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Thanks, BananaBomb! I'm glad you thought my last chapter was great! And I'll clear up your confusion, Leaf kicked the pile of leaves, but because they flew everywhere, she did not see it. Drew pulled her away before she could because of Gary's apparent warning. Uhuhuehuh. Oldrivalshipping ):D But Yeah, so everyone will eventually prove their use and I guess Lucas' isn't exactly the most important. However if you think about it, almost none of these kids know anything about survival since they grew up in the comfort of their homes. Not to worry, I'll figure out some sort of role for Lucas as I will for Misty. Misty can act a little bitchy, but I made her like that since Red is not, if you get what I'm saying. The group needs some sort of harsh authority and at the moment, it's like a good cop, bad cop system going on between Red and Misty. Everything she says and does, I assure you, is done with good intentions in her heart. So, thanks again and I'll see you soon!**

 **Alpha The Loyalist, thanks for reading and reviewing again c: So that's a Myers Briggs profile? Well, you learn something new every day. Bear humor is the best, I agree, uhuhuh. Thank you, thanks, I'm happy to hear that my last chapter was well developed! Oh! So I took that freakishly long test and got ISFJ. In regards to your opinion on the Red Ache section, I can smell an Oldrivalshipping chapter right here, uhuhuhuu. Glad you understand the amazingly awesome bond between Red and Leafy ^-^ Theories, theories. Thanks again! eheh**

 **Blacknebulastar, thanks for stopping by again to read and review! As for Yellow being Red's fiancé, you'll just have to wait and find out! Ehe .o.**

 **That's all for now.**

 **Onto the chapter!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

 _I don't own Pokemon_

* * *

 _Chapter 21:_

 _'It's okay.'_

"Ngh.." Dawn's eyes fluttered open. Sunlight blinded her for a split second before disappearing into the thick clouds above. Lifting her head from whatever she was laying on, Dawn sat up. She looked around in a daze before letting her eyes rest on Paul who was sitting to her left. His head was tossed back and supported by the big oak. The hair that usually hung down on both sides of his face fell backwards, giving his face a more fresh look. Especially with the afternoon light illuminating it.

Usually, she would've had a panic-attack and jumped to conclusions that whoever woke up next to her did something. However, this was Paul. Unlike Lucas who couldn't go five minutes without touching her, Paul knew his boundaries. Even if Lucas was her boyfriend, Dawn felt uncomfortable when it came to excessive touching. She felt primarily uneasy when he'd abruptly grab her and try to cuddle. Despite that, she kept her feelings to herself as there were many times when Lucas' touch did somehow manage to calm her down. He made her feel a bit uncomfortable, but oddly enough, Paul was the opposite.

When she was with him he was bitter and didn't try to smother her with sugary words. Dawn found herself staring at Paul once more through her blurred vision. Head aching, she closed her eyes and laid her head back against his shoulder, trying not to move any part of her body as the smallest gestures sent burning pains into her body. Everything felt stiff, and as much as she wanted to get the blood flowing in her limbs, Dawn could not bring herself to move.

Faint murmurs could be heard from where she knew was in the direction of the campfire. Smoke entered her nose as she inhaled and exhaled, trying to fall back asleep to escape the pain. After a couple moments of peace and quiet, along with the occasional shouting coming from the campfire, Dawn opened her eyes. The girl squinted as rays of golden light warmed her face and beat down on her. Her hand felt slightly heavy as she lifted it to shield her eyes from the sun.

Tilting her head downwards, she glanced at her left hand. It was firmly locked in a certain someone's right hand and showed no signs of releasing any time soon. Dawn felt her face begin to heat up as a blush crept up and onto her face. Her lips pursed as she realized that not even Lucas had managed to fluster her. Which was surprising as he had been practically throwing himself at her continuously for the past few days. Although, he wasn't exactly the person she had met on the plane anymore, different from the other survivors who were genuine and true to themselves as far as her knowledge led her. Shaking her hand a little, she tried to break free from his hold. The girl pulled and tugged over and over again.

"Hey..." Dawn leaned in close before whispering softly into Paul's ear after several failed attempts. Letting both of their arms sag and droop back down by their sides, she gave the struggle up. She reached and tapped his shoulder in a delicate moment as if trying not to break thin glass. Even if she trusted him just a tad bit more than Lucas, Dawn still had no idea how he'd react to being suddenly woken up. "Wake up.."

Upon receiving no response, Dawn slumped, letting an exasperated sigh escape her lips. It hurt too much to try and flee from Paul's iron grip. How could one have such immense strength while sleeping? A gust of wind blew, loosening up the hair that was once stuck to her face and Drew's coat, which was still draped across them. Flinching as it tickled her face, she shuddered before realizing that the warmth she had been feeling came from both the sun and Paul. Inching a bit away from him, she tugged at his arm in hopes of waking him.

"Kuuu..." Paul breathed in response, shifting slightly. The blush on Dawn's face grew more intense then before, burning away at it. Was he actually capable of making such a cute noise? Dawn brought her right hand up to her mouth, covering it as she averted her eyes. Face red, she shuffled her feet, trying to distract herself from the current situation. However, soon enough, she found herself looking back at him.

Making sure her clothes didn't rub and create sound, Dawn turned her body so that she was sitting cross-legged to Paul's right. A small smile spread across her face as she looked down at her left hand which was still clasped in Paul's hand. She gave a small squeeze before shaking him with her right hand. Deciding to try and scare him, the midnight blue haired girl leaned in close to his face, staring intensely as she shook him back and forth.

"Hnn.." He grumbled, peaceful face forming a familiar scowl. There he goes again with his un-cute ' _hnn'_. Slowly, Paul opened his pitch-black eyes which blinked the sleep out of his eyes several times. In seconds, his fuzzy, drowsy-looking eyes cleared and set themselves on Dawn's. Eyes widening in shock, Paul released her hand and roughly shoved her backwards.

"Ow!" Dawn winced, sitting up and brushing herself off. She shot him a glare of both questioning and irritation but he simply returned it.

"What the hell were you doing?" Paul muttered bluntly. As usual, it sounded more like a statement rather than an actual question and his voice was emotionless. Even so, his body language told her otherwise. He was now completely pressed against the big oak and his muscles were more tense than usual. His face was also fairly red which probably could've been from a wind burn, but Dawn decided not to pay much attention to the little details.

"I was just trying to wake you up, it's probably the middle of the afternoon now! No need to get all salty.." Dawn scoffed, standing up and stretching her legs which were no longer asleep. From the corner of her eye, she watched his shoulders and jaw quickly lose their stiffness.

"Take this to Drew." He stood up and tossed the coat at her. Somehow, Paul had managed to get a hold of himself and recover quickly like it was no big deal at all. He didn't even bother asking what had happened or maybe why he woke up with her pretty much on top of him with her face shoved close to his.

"Wha-!" Dawn's hands moved quickly to catch it. Balancing herself out, she brought the coat close to her chest. It was warm and it smelled like him in a way, though things like grass and body odor in general tried to block out his natural scent. Looking upwards, she watched as he pulled a travel bag out from under on of the many large roots protruding from the earth. Paul's hands fumbled through it before pulling themselves out of the bag along with what looked like an MP3 player. "Did you salvage that from the plane?"

"No. I had it with me the whole time." He hesitated before running a finger over it and stuffing it back into the bag. Turning around, Paul brushed past her, heading out towards the campfire. For a moment, Dawn stared blankly at the large oak, seemingly trying to come up with something else to say. But, it was then when she realized he had already walked away.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she stretched her arms out one by one once more before letting them fall to her sides. Still blushing a little bit, the girl followed after Paul where she was greeted with several familiar voices. However, their voices were stiff and the atmosphere around them was thick. Narrowing her eyes, she plopped down in an open spot next to Lucas. Aside from the short greetings and occasional shuffling of feet in the sand, everything was dead silent. For a moment, Paul and her exchanged confused looks, though his seemed more irritated for whatever reason.

"So, babe, did you happen to see Leaf or Gary anywhere?" Lucas spoke up after several moments of awkward silence. Drew, who's head was originally hung, looked up with what seemed to be an interested look on his face. May, who was sitting a couple inches away from him and Ash on the same log had the same expression on her face. Red looked concentrated and both Misty and Ash seemed to be staring blankly into the campfire. Confused, Dawn shrugged.

"Ah... Please don't call me that anymore... And, no, was I supposed to have?" A shiver ran up her spine as Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Not wanting to argue with the tension already building higher among the others, she let him pull her close to him. It was the first time Dawn had actually felt absolutely disgusted with her body and his.

"Hey, what's wrong? I thought you said that it was fine." Lucas' smile dropped a little, a worried look settling in. He grabbed at her hand and held it. His hand was surprisingly rougher than Paul's giving it an uncomfortable feeling.

"Well.."

"So, where's Leaf?" Paul coughed loudly, averting his eyes and looking towards the ocean.

"And Gary." May added. She was currently swinging her sling back and forth in boredom.

"Who cares?" The teenager grumbled, not bothering to turn his attention back to the group.

"They're probably fine, couldn't have strayed too far. Besides, Leaf is a smarty and a cutie." Drew yawned, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes looked tired and his face, though smiling, seemed a bit dull. Flicking his hair, he plastered a grin across his face. Dawn raised an eyebrow to this. Everyone's behavior seemed very bizarre.

"O-oh really?" May muttered quietly, also averting her eyes towards the sea.

"Can somebody get that?" Red smiled a bit, whittling away at a branch with a makeshift knife make of stone. It grew sharper and sharper by the minute and Red didn't seem as if he was even close to stopping. For a split second, he pointed towards the fish on the rotisserie.

"Mm." Paul nodded, leaning forward and removing the rotisserie stick carefully. He blew on it before taking off a small pieces and passing them around.

"Thank god, I was starvin'!" Ash grinned, brightening up. Quickly, he consumed his portion before taking another. The raven haired boy hesitated before receiving a glare from Misty and passing it over to May. Soon enough, Dawn could hear her own stomach rumbling and felt it ache more than usual as the scent of freshly cooked fish was carried through the wind. Her eyes focused and narrowed as she noticed how small the fish and the portions were compared to when they first arrived on the island.

"Red, we aren't causing you troubles, are we?" Dawn took her portion from Lucas, staring intensely at it rather than eating it right away as she had planned. The young adult looked up, setting aside his newly crafted spear and shoving his knife in his pockets. Giving her a smile about as warm as Ash's, he took the rotisserie stick and set that right next to the spear. Now, he had crafted five eight spears, five of which were split among Gary, Paul, Drew, Leaf, and May. Two of them were in the ground next to him and the other had yet to be given away. As much as she wanted one, Dawn knew that she could probably make something herself with iron or other metals she could scavenge if she really wanted to.

"Of course not, why would you think that?" Red laughed lightly, shaking his head and refusing to take any fish from Paul. Pursing her lips, Dawn stood and walked over to the man. Luckily, the others were engaged in their own conversations with each other, too busy to pay much attention. Though, Paul and Misty paid close attention, despite their wordless behavior. Lucas was listening, but stopped as Ash tried to converse with him.

"How much have you eaten today?" She eyed him up and down like a mother would, hands on her hips.

"A lot..?" Red smiled awkwardly, scratching a little at the side of his face. Dawn frowned, looking at the piece of fish in her hands.

"Eat this." Shoving it into his hands. His eyes widened with surprise as he was taken back by the sudden gesture.

"Hey, this is yours, you take it." The man handed it back to her. Pursing her lips, Dawn immediately forced it back into his hands.

"Eat it."

Red said nothing, only handing it back to her. Dawn shook her head, crossing her arms. Paul rolled his eyes before sighing and standing up. Ignoring it, Dawn could see that Red was very hesitant. How could he just give his portions away like that? At this rate he was going to starve himself to death.

"Eat it!"

"No, you need something in your system."

"Eat it, Red! You need it too!" She uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists tightly. Red was beginning to get dangerously thin which was a problem as when she had first met him, he was already as slim as a stick. His facial hair was probably the only thing on his body that was thick as his flesh seemed to cling to his bones. He wasn't exactly bone-thin, but thin enough to get her attention.

"Dawn, please, I'm fine. No need to worry." Putting his hands up in the hair he waved them back and forth in a denying motion.

"Don't lie to me, what are we going to do if we lose you?! What is Leaf going to do?!" Dawn nearly screamed, attracting the eyes and disrupting the conversations of the others around them. For some reason, she lost control of her limbs. They flailed around and finally, the fish made it's way to Red's hands. Everything seemed slow and everyones' voices were unclear as well. Her head ached and her eyes burned which confused her greatly. Why had she gotten so worked up? What was going on? It was like she'd totally lost the ability to control herself. Almost as if someone or something else was controlling her. The only thing she could hear properly were the sounds of her own ear-blasting screech.

"Hey."

A familiar voice interrupted her flurried rage. However she kept on flailing about, gritting her teeth and tightening her jaw.

"Calm down."

There it was again. It was low and somewhat relaxed. The world was blurred as she floundered about for no particular reason. Suddenly, it felt as if all of her emotions were hitting her at once. Half of Dawn's heart felt as if it was on fire while the other half felt icy and painful. She stopped moving and brought her hands to her face, digging her nails into and down it in frustration. Her lungs hurt and she could still hear herself screaming.

"Dawn!"

"Hey, Dawn!"

"Babe!"

"Dawn?!"

"Dude?!"

 **"Shut up!"** Dawn screamed loudly. Once more, she found herself thrashing around. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Alright, even... Red... sn't... kno... to... handle... thi..." The next few words that came her way were choppy, fuzzy, and in that wonderfully soothing deep tone. It was unlike the other panicked, higher voices putting aside Red who was silently sitting in front of her, fish in hands. He looked shocked, but Dawn apologized mentally and figured she'd do it in person later. Her body felt numb and flashes of different colors made her vision and headache worse. Hot, wet tears streaked down her face and had been doing so for some time now. She just hadn't noticed it. They were coming out continuously and she couldn't stop them.

All of the sudden, Dawn felt an immense, almost painful, amount of pressure just below her breasts and above her waist. It wasn't long until she knew for sure that she was being lifted into the air. Whatever was holding her, she trusted it, though it was a bit uncomfortable. Even so, Dawn could feel the pains in her body fade as she took a deep breath of the salty ocean air. Smoke was still detectable, but being high in the air as she was moved towards to sea shore allowed her to breath in more fresh air than pungent odors coming from the campfire. Tears that once rushed down her face had ceased until the last few slipped out of her eyes.

"Nngh..."

A short grunt was heard before Dawn felt herself being lifted just a bit higher. Eyes widening, a smile crept up and onto her face. The afternoon was long gone now and the sun was beginning to set. Light reflected upon the shimmering ocean waters sparkled while the pink-orange hue of the sun in the distance illuminated her face. She heard and felt a small pop in both of her ears, flinching Dawn's ears cleared up. Her ears were greeted with the sound of lulling waves that gently touched the sand of the beach.

"Higher." Dawn whispered, feeling almost brand new. It felt as if the cold yet refreshing ocean breeze was passing right through her. Suddenly, her heavy heart and burdensome body became as light as a feather.

"Pardon?" The deep voice grumbled.

"Higher." She repeated, softly smiling to the sky above.

Hands that were holding her up quivered and shook, causing her to giggle a little bit. They tickled a lot, but eventually the trembling stopped and she was lifted even higher. At the moment, she couldn't see anything but the ocean and it's skies. However, she could hear faint murmurs and even what sounded like an outraged scream from behind her.

The touch she received was refreshing and rough with a touch of delicacy. Her grin grew a little bit pained as she remembered Nicholas. This touch was nothing like his and she liked it that way. It took her years to move on and in some corner of her heart, she felt a painful sting. And yet within a matter of seconds, it melted away, replaced with a much more indescribable emotion. Inhaling, Dawn took control of her originally limp hanging arms and moved them. She softly touched the hands before smiling softly and slowly shutting her eyes.

"Thank you... Paul."

* * *

"Wait, Gary."

Leaf shouted to the best of her ability, however it simply came out in her usual hushed tone. The boy she had called to tore through the woods, running as fast as he could. Even so, Leaf was used to chasing after him so she was able to match his quick pace. He ignored her and stormed forward, keeping his head down low and directed to the ground. Furrowing her eyebrows, she huffed and inhaled before speeding up in an attempt to catch up.

It shocked her at first when she witnessed the usual laid-back, careless boy abruptly dash away and into the woods. Although, that feeling of shock and surprise faded away as Leaf began to sympathize with him. She couldn't even come close to imagining what it would feel like to have a friend try to kill you over for such an unreasonable reason. Of course, Gary was not the type to mope and show any negative feelings to everyone around him. So now that she thought about it, it made more sense for him to run away into the woods. However going alone when strange and dangerous things have been happening all around them was not the wisest of choices. Leaving the safety of the group was even more dangerous being emotionally hurt or unstable.

"Gary."

"Shit!" The chestnut-haired boy cursed, tripping over a root protruding from the earth. He fell forwards and onto his hands and knees. As Leaf approached him, she slowed to a walking pace. Gary did not bother standing up, only leaning backwards and letting his weight carry him so that he now sat on his knees. She sat down and crawled around him to get a look at his face.

"Gary." Leaf stared right into his emerald-green eyes which were beginning to glaze over with her own pacifying jade eyes. It was clear that he was about to cry, but she narrowed her eyes as Gary bit down on his bottom lip and clenched his jaw. His face was as red as hers and she was sure it was from the emotions overtaking him rather than the biting cold. Both of their eyes were puffy and she could only imagine how swollen hers looked compared to his.

"Whut?" Gary whimpered, pressing down on his knees harder. The expression he gave her was that of a child and it was full of nostalgia. But of course, she was most certain that the feeling of nostalgia was only felt by her. It hadn't been very long since she'd seen that face. In fact, he was seventeen and she was sixteen so it had only been three years. Those unforgettable memories still touched her heart, but it obviously didn't for him.

"What's wrong?" She hummed, gazing at him through the shadows of the trees. Light patches of light broke through the leaves, but aside from that, it was very gloomy. A shiver crept down her spine as she realized that she'd have to get everything settled and get back before it got completely dark.

Three very long years...

"My head hurts and I feel dizzy!" He complained, completely breaking down like a child.

"Oh no, that's not good now, is it?" Reaching out, Leaf began to stroke her hand through his spiky brown hair. Wordlessly, he shook his head and allowed her to touch him much to his surprise. It even shocked Leaf herself that she would willingly touch him once more. Although she thought nothing of it, only continuing to rub his head. "You've always been a crybaby."

"Wha-! I'm not a crybaby!" Suddenly, Gary shot upwards and smacked her hand away. Leaf froze for a moment before bringing down to her lap and rubbing the small sting until it disappeared. "Ah..." A look of regret flashed upon his face.

"I suppose that's true now... But you were originally." She murmured, piercing his eyes with her own. The tears had stopped and left a red and pink face behind.

"What do you mean..?" Gary raised an eyebrow in confusion before sniffing and wiping his nose. He really was just like a child...

"I mean that you used to cry and cry all the time. And you'd come to me especially whenever you'd get beat up. You also came to love me at one point after crying to me about how your 'one true love' dumped you." A light laughter escaped her mouth as soon as she said it. Leaf reached back upwards to his face and caressed it, wiping away the wet streaks his tears had left. "I'd always have to do this for you..."

"What? When was this?" More confusion flooded onto his face. His eyebrows knitted together and by now his jaw had relaxed and he had let go of his lip which was beginning to bleed.

"We were in different grades because of age back then. Seventh and eighth. But of course you can't remember for some reason I'd love to hear." Her thumb swept over the surface of his lower lip, removing the blood. However it wasn't long until another small amount began to pool on it. Wiping her thumb, Leaf sighed.

"I don't get it." Gary grabbed fistfuls of the loose cloth of his pants in frustration. Leaf herself raised an eyebrow to this as she had figured he'd been pretending not to remember or know her. It was possible that he really didn't remember, but it didn't make sense for him to not remember everything she had done for him.

"You don't have to get it. It already happened, Gary." She muttered softly ruffling the hair on his head. His eyes widened and pursed his lips before roughly grabbing handfuls of her hair and holding his hands up to her mid-neck. "Ouch!" Leaf winced.

"You..." He took a sharp intake of air before tightening his grip around her hair, pulling it much to Leaf's displeasure. Glancing up at him, Leaf lifted her chin slightly before grabbing his wrists and giving him a look. Releasing her hair, he brought his hands back down to his sides and stared at her with a look of shock.

"I'm listening." Leaf murmured calmly.

"You are... My ex from middle school?!" His mouth was open, agape with surprise. Was it really that shocking? Sighing again, she quickly ran her fingers through her messed up hair in an attempt to fix it. Quickly glancing at him, Leaf nodded.

"You've changed so much though." Gary's fists clenched and his eyes looked watery. Noticing this, she laughed a little bit.

"People can change, Gary. You've also become... different since I last saw you." She shook her head in a slightly disapproving motion. It was true. The boy she knew was a loyal person dedicated to the one he set his eyes on, she knew at least that much. By the looks of it, he had been playing and sleeping around with girls for the past three years. There was no way he was a virgin now and the romantic gestures and remarks made were of course, made light-heartedly or emotionlessly. What had happened? To that sweet, sugary personality and innocence as pure as a newborn? That's what she'd like to know.

"What do you mean?! You've changed way more than me! Look at your hair! And your clothing! What the hell happened?!" He raised his voice and stared at her with wide eyes. However Leaf thought nothing much of it, eyes narrowing.

"Calm down."

"Calm down?! How can I possible calm down in a moment like this?! You lied to me! Why didn't you tell me who you were?!" Gary yelled, roughly grabbing the collar of her light blue tank top. Clearly irritated now, she frowned and looked straight into his eyes with a more aggressive feeling rising up.

"I didn't lie to you! I told you who I was but you didn't god freaking remember me! Don't try and blame me for everything and don't you dare say that I've changed more!" Leaf reached out and grabbed his arm, twisting it until she couldn't go any further.

"Ow!" He winced, letting go and swiftly moving away from her. There was now a fairly large distance between them and it made Leaf feel uneasy and slightly frustrated with him.

"It's very shallow-hearted to make assumptions based on appearance. Your personality now is completely different. I suggest you either accept the changes or get away from me." She straightened her tank top out before sending him a look. It was not a glare and it showed no rage, it was but a mere look of disappointment.

"Leaf, I..."

"How many girls have you dated?" Dead serious, Leaf crossed her arms. Cold wind bit at them, but at the moment, she couldn't care less.

"Th-that's personal!" Gary, face still red, seemed to look very uncomfortable with the subject.

"Answer me."

"How the hell could I answer a question like that?! Stop pestering me and get aw-"

"Do you love me?"

Leaf interrupted, speaking quite bluntly. Even so, there was a big amount of emotion welling up inside her. It must've shown clearly on her face as Gary's once angry face twisted into an astonished, then uncertain expression.

"I..." He trailed off, averted his eyes and desperately looking around. The boy was obviously trying to distract himself and began to stall. Again and again, he repeated 'I', testing Leaf's patience. Eyebrows knitting together, she bit her lip and folded her hands. Leaf rested them in her lap before looked down at the ground. She knew exactly what was coming and as much as she didn't want to hear it, she needed to in order to move on.

"Gary, do you still love me?" At the moment, the cold wind seemed a whole lot icier. It felt like her body was being pelted with hail, but she waited in silence. After several minutes of pure silence, only the wind whistling in their ears, Gary sighed.

"I loved the old you, not the new you."

"I see.." Pursing her lips, Leaf couldn't bring herself to look up.

"B-but if we give it some time, maybe I'll adapt to this change! It's so much to take in and I was surprised." He stammered, scratching the back on his head nervously. His face seemed more red than before as he spoke and reminded her of her shyness. When she was with him, she couldn't feel that fear. Though maybe it was due to knowing him beforehand.

"Time... It'd be a challenge for you to actually wait for someone. Are you certain you won't move onto another girl right away?" Leaf laughed as if it was a joke.

"You're really lovable according to the others! It can't be that hard." Gary grabbed her hands and held them in his own, bringing them to his chest. "I will wait and see... You have my word!" He exclaimed.

"O-oh?" Today was just full of surprises... Leaf let him take her hands for a couple seconds before breaking away from his grasp, feeling very awkward. Her glare softened into a sharp gaze, still keeping the serious look. "If you break that promise-"

"I will marry you."

"Yeah.. Wait- N-no! Why would I want to marry a cheat and a liar?!" Coughing, Leaf averted her eyes for a split second towards the sky. "Besides, that condition is completely unreasonable." Flustered, she shoved his shoulder and ripped grass out of the ground before chucking handfuls at him.

"Well, then I give you permission to cut off my right hand yourself." He hesitated before saying it, but he seemed to be earnest. Smiling softly, she leaned forward and lightly tapped his hand which was in the middle of twiddling his thumbs. Stopping, he looked up at her.

"I'll take you up on that, Gary." Leaf brought her hand up and ruffled the hair on his head. After several moments, she stopped and began rubbing it. It really was like he was fourteen... or maybe six-years-old..

* * *

 _"Greenie~!"_

 _Sobbing hysterically, a boy picked up his pace, now running. His jacket flew up and trailed behind him, followed by the echoing patters of his footsteps landing upon the ground. The hallway was practically empty, giving off a somewhat lonesome aura. It was about twenty minutes since the middle school had let out and nearly everyone had gone home._

 _"Oh!" A petite female turned around, short chocolate-brown hair swaying slightly. Her books slapped and pages flapped as they were knocked out of her hands and she was knocked forward. Stumbling to regain her balance, she flailed about until finally, she retook control of her body weight. As her eyes adjusted and quickly set themselves upon the boy in front of her, she gently smiled._

 _"Greenie, my... my.. she.. she...!" He wailed and stammered, mind completely breaking apart. His expression was filled with both anguish and struggle as he tried to cough up the words he wanted to say._

 _"Ah.. Gary, you surprised me. What's wrong this time?" Leaf Green crouched in front of the boy and extended her arm. She softly stroked his head in an attempt to pacify him as a mother would a child. Though she smiled sweetly and warmly, she couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. This boy, the boy she had met two years ago was a year older than her yet acted even younger than one should for their age-group. However she held onto her patience and continued to run her hand through his hair until hesitantly, Gary opened his mouth._

 _"She... she was already dating Blake!" Tears and tears rapidly flowed from his eyes as he let out a heart-breaking wail. He was a crybaby, innocent, and childish, all things that Leaf thought was impossible to be for a boy his age. She had learned a whole lot about him the past two years since she'd first met him. It wasn't surprising to find doodles or drawings related to the girl he had a crush on and eventually, she had learned his innocence came from being homeschooled and isolated from the public up until fourth grade. At first she wouldn't believe that he'd stayed like this for such a long period of time, but as soon as she was placed in an elective with him, Leaf was able to observe how his classmates babied him. They must've thought he was acting as their tones weren't the friendliest, but of course, Gary paid no mind to it which hurt her a little._

 _"Blake? That guy in your class who dyed his hair dark red?" Analyzing his face, Leaf raised an eyebrow. Gary nodded, biting his lip before choking on his tears again. She sighed and continued to stroke his head._

 _"Apparently they've been going out for months... Her friends laughed and I totally embarrassed myself!" His face was bright head and his head was now hung. He did not bother to even look at the ground, tightly shutting his eyes as if he could run away from the mortification._

 _"You'll find someone." She grabbed him and wrapped her arms around him as more tears began to fall from his face. He was truly heart-broken and although she couldn't even imagine how that felt, Leaf decided to simply shut her mouth and let him sob while no one was around to judge him._

 _"Greenie, you'll always be with me in highschool, right?" Quieting his cries, Gary fell forward into her arms. Leaf put as much effort in to support and balance both her weight and his as he leaned further into her. Finally, she was brought to a point where she fell back and onto her bottom._

 _"I'm sorry, Gary." The younger girl murmured, beginning to stare into space. Now that she thought about it, his body was like four times bigger. However, he wasn't fat, he was just tall and she had a small build. It was like having a living, breathing stuffed animal cling to her. Maybe he was thinking that it was like she was a stuffed animal too. The thought of it made the smile on her face even warmer._

 _"What do you mean?" His voice was panicked and at last, he looked up and into her eyes. They were red, swollen, and glassy, typical signs that a person has been crying hard._

 _"In two months I'm going to be transferring. You see, my papa got offered an even higher-paying job in Unova." Leaf pushed the excitement that she was feeling for her father away for the sake of Gary who looked as if she had just whipped out a knife and stabbed him. Gary's eyes were wide and tears seemed to be welling up once more._

 _"You can't stay in Kanto with me?" The answer was obvious, and it was evident on his face that he knew it too. But that didn't stop him from asking anyway._

 _"Of course not, but I'll be here for two months." She fiddled with the spiky hair on his head._

 _"I love you, Greenie!" Leaf coughed and winced as he began to squeeze her tightly._

 _"I know, Gary, you told me." Smiling, she hugged him back before letting go and sitting back. There was now a good amount of space between them, allowing her to breathe more clearly._

 _"No, no, I mean it." Gary looked extremely serious as he locked eyes with her. Even so, Leaf looked unfazed by it, not exactly taking it to heart herself._

 _"Look, tell me all about it after you've gotten over your crush and maybe I'll take you seriously and give it some thought." Leaf laughed a little bit, smacking him on the back in a friendly gesture._

 _"Wh-why?!" He clenched his fists, fear evident in his expression. Was he that afraid of rejection? She shook her head and mentally agreed that it was the right thing to do._

 _"I want to be sure that I'm not your backup." Standing, Leaf brushed off her pale gray skirt and adjusted the dark red ribbon tied around her neck and the collar of her white blouse. The uniform that she wore was required by her school and her neatly tied red ribbon signified that she was a second year at the middle. Gary on the other hand wore a simple white shirt and black pants, though they were baggy and too big even for him. It only made him look more like a child than ever._

 _"Mmm... Whatever you say, I guess. But let's get along until you leave, okay?" He flashed her a big, warm and friendly smile before standing and shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants._

 _"Of course!"_  
 _-_

 _He became my boyfriend several weeks later after pestering me and staying persistent until I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out. Though I understood his devoted, good-hearted intentions and set that aside. However the soon, the month ended and there was but one left to go._

 _Occasionally I'd catch him glancing over to his former crush and for a moment I thought he was just doing it to try and make her jealous or something. So of course I was a bit hurt, but bit by bit, I stopped speaking my mind and sharing my emotions with him. I noticed that he'd spend minutes just looking at her which is what made me close up entirely. Even so, I was still friendly with him, though we were more like best friends than lovers._

 _At first, I thought nothing of it. But when he tried to take my first kiss, it was cute and I swear I would've let him since he too looked nervous. Yet something inside me told me 'no', so I refused to kiss him and high tension was between us for about a week. I couldn't bring myself to believe that he genuinely loved me and spent nights just thinking about it. After several more days I was okay and kept up the friendly act with him. Those days of watching him ogle at his apparent 'ex-crush' passed and began to get to me by the hour._

 _I had no idea what was wrong with my head or my heart. Then I realized that it was because of one thing._

 _I had fallen for him._

 _It broke me and the moment I realized it, I walked straight past him and home to my room where I locked myself there. Even my father wasn't allowed to see or speak to me that night. Horrible thoughts of wanted to 'get rid' of his crush crossed my mind and I studied to take my mind off of it. I studied and studied until my paper became wet with tears and ripped when I set my pencil upon it._

 _Before I knew it, it was my notebook which was filled with drawings and depictions of him. I wanted to remember his face so that if I ever met him again, I would immediately recognize him. His innocence continued and his cuteness only rose, but it was clear that he was more interested in the girl with the longer hair. Was I not pretty enough? Had I not comforted him enough? Had I not been there enough? What could I have done to get him to turn his attention to me._

 _I wanted to hug him again and ruffle up his hair. I also wanted to wipe those tears from his face and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But, perhaps I was only really good for being there. Maybe I really wasn't meant to be his girlfriend or anything. Had I accidentally mistaken our close friendship for a budding romance? Most likely._

 _Time passed and there was only a week left until my departure. I did not cry anymore as I packed and I told Gary who cried and wailed in my place. Those tears were genuine and I knew he'd miss me and want me to stay. Unfortunately, the cries came from a friend, not a lover, I could tell. I also told him that there was a chance he could catch me before my flight, but he simply nodded, wiped his tears, and walked away wordlessly. Had I made him mad? It was not my choice. It was my father's and I love and put him before everything else._

 _That week, it seemed as if he was getting closer and closer to his 'ex-crush'. There were times where I wished that Blake noticed more of it and there were times that I even distracted Blake to give Gary some alone time with that girl. Because Gary and I were supposed to be dating, Blake and that girl obviously trusted each other enough to be alone with either one of us. Although it can go either way, which is what made me think that the bond they had could not be cut. So even if I, Gary's girlfriend, helped him out with his actual crush, deep down, I knew that he'd never get that girl._

 _The morning of my flight, I waited in hope. Maybe Gary would come to see me off and maybe he'd tell me that he loved me with more heart and emotion to it. So I checked everything, social media, texts, even his blog. There was nothing. And by the time it was time for me to leave with my family, time had run out. He never came._

 _On January 18th, just days after I had arrived in Unova, I received a text from him. He still called me 'Greenie' but he broke up with me saying that he wasn't ready for a relationship and trying his first one over a long-distance relationship was too hard on him._

 _I always thought that maybe he'd follow me to Unova. I always thought that maybe, just maybe, one day I'd walk into class and see him sitting at my desk. Eventually, I let my hair grow out and soon I had everyone in the palm of my hands. At first, guys flocked around me, asked me out, and girls befriended me, not worried about how much of a guy-magnate I was. I couldn't have asked for more, I was so lucky. Then, in my first year of high school, I was called out. All my friends had turned on me for whatever reason, maybe it was because I had attracted the attention of their crushes? The drama killed me._

 _By then I was sitting in the position that Gary's crush was in. Barely scraping by everyday by communicating with the boys that actually liked me and girls who maybe weren't so hot on campus, but didn't care about social reputations. Unfortunately for me, there was no one that would approach me. No matter how nice I was, I was quickly labelled a fake, lying bitch. How did everything take such a drastic turn in events? I really don't know. However in those times, I had stopped dwelling over Gary and selfishly focused more in on my own problems._

 _Then, the crash happened and I reconnected with Gary. However he was not the same... Over the past three years he had learned things that shattered his fragile innocence. He was a flirt, he was a player, and he was a sleaze. I had learned that much just by observing him and I still don't know what made him change today. That day, when he dumped me... I would have much rather preferred him dating me for a week then confessing to his crush and dumping me over unintentionally making me fall for him then dumping me because he wasn't ready after two months._

 _The Gary who just promised his right hand to me along with his patience is the more mature version of that fourteen-year-old boy. I have hopes and this time..._

 _I will not give up._

* * *

 ** _AND THAT BRINGS CHAPTER 21 TO A WRAP!_**

 ** _YOU MAY NOW APPLAUD SINCE I PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS *sobbing quietly onto my keyboard*_**

 ** _Alright, so before I do or say anything else, I will clear up some things._**

 ** _No, I did not make up any characters other than the unnamed girl._**

 ** _In Dawn's section, a boy named Nicholas who seemed to have a big impact on the reason why she is uncomfortable with touch is mentioned._**

 ** _Note: There are two types of people, those who run away from their fears, and those who force themselves into their fears to try and overcome them. Dawn is one of those people who force themselves into fears to try and overcome them. However, of course, she knows when to put a stop to her risk-taking._**

 ** _Nicholas is a minor and easily forgettable character from Pokemon: Battle Frontier. His first appearance is in the episode, Weekend Warrior. You can find him on the Pokemon character wiki, but you'll find absolutely NO information on him as he isn't important at all. Which is of course, why none of you would know his name._**

 ** _In Leaf's section, so wow! Lots of things involving Leaf and Gary's history were cleared up and I jumped away from the survival point and went onto character development and romance for this chapter. So haha, sorry, but I will get to the survival point... as I promised like 87 times, haha._**

 ** _Blake is another minor character from The Pokemon Series: XY. He first appears in the episode, Splitting Heirs. Now I think we know the reason why Gary didn't recognize Leaf and we know a bit more about Gary himself._**

 ** _Now, getting down to one question that may be asked. Why did I choose these two minor characters to play a part in Leaf and Dawn's stories'? Well, I'll be honest... Their faces and character design just looked fitting xD haha. No, I'm not even kidding. I would've had Barry or Kenny play the enemy, but their characters are just too nice and I wanted to stay as close to the characters' base personalities as possible. I guess I haven't done a very good job with Gary or Red though, right? I sort of switched theirs up a little bit._**

 ** _You may also be thinking that I could've been using Conway in Dawn's story. But seriously, think, would someone like Dawn really willingly date Conway? Oh!_**

 ** _And for Leaf, I'm hoping I didn't screw up in my writing and make her seem like one of those tragic heroines, because that's not what I'm aiming for. I still want her to be seen as that cute, quiet girl, but hopefully she didn't seem needy, whiney, etc. I'm also working with Dawn's personality and making it seem less cliche, maybe their not supposed to be likable 24/7, but I definitely don't want them to be characters you all hate. After all, they're two of the more major main characters, man, haha._**

 ** _So there was some major Ikarishipping AND Oldrivalshipping stuff in this chapter, but wrapping things up with them, next chapter will be more serious and maybe there will be some time to clear up Ash and Misty's personalities and situations with a Pokeshipping section. I've decided to put Contestshipping on hold for now, I just can't find it in myself to figure out a scenario where May and Drew won't be at each others' throats and I won't reuse the comforting after an event thing. I just used that on Leaf and Gary._**

 ** _Of course, I will not forget Lucas or Red. Lucas will definitely interfere with our precious Ikarishipping, but that's just how the story and human emotions in general work. I want you guys to honestly think to yourselves next time you find yourselves hating his guts (Don't worry there are times where I just wanna smack him silly too, haha), if you were in his place, or any of the characters places, would you honestly be able to control your emotions and only let it leak out every once in a while? I mean, for example, it'd be your girlfriend, one true love, getting friendly with a guy who hates your guts and everyone around you is just bashing and hating on you. On top of that, you've got a fiery ginger at your throat, haha xD._**

 ** _Summing it up, just for future references, it's really important to understand the difference between human ideals that everyone has for these characters and things that even you couldn't do in such situations._**

 ** _We all get mad, we all throw tantrums, say things that aren't meant to be said, cry uncontrollably, do or say jerkish things. It's what people do. I encourage you to tell me how you feel about these characters, but please note that there will be times where your favorite characters could do or say something that'll make you absolutely hate them. Even so, stick with them and stick with me, everything will come around at some point! We'll survive this together, right?_**

 ** _Oh, yeah, and you also might be thinking things like, "Well Bear, aren't you pretty much bashing the characters 24/7 yourself?" Shh... Children, it's okay if I do it... ehehe The characters do whatever I want them to, uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuuuuuuu c:_**

 ** _With the current circumstances they'll most likely get forced to move camp to the lake, but how will they cope with leaving the site near the comforting ocean that has offered them so much in both resources and sanity? We'll just have to find out. Will the weather get any worse? Colder? Windier? They haven't even started on building shelters, what will our heroes possibly do?  
_**

 ** _If you think this is a story that will eventually drop the drama, then I suggest you just stop reading if you're not big on emotions and major character development. xD_**

 ** _Anyways! So here's a brief summery of what happened this chapter:  
_**

 ** _Dawn and Paul had their little moments along with Leaf and Gary.  
It's revealed that Dawn has some problem with being touched, but doesn't complain or say much about it. We're sort of back to step 1 with Ikarishipping, but at least now we have Dawn's interest in Paul piqued. _**

**_Like I said earlier, Leaf and Gary's history is cleared, but there still is a bit of a mystery as to why Gary acts the way he is. Maybe we'll see a section from his perspective? Eh, I'll do whatever I want xD_**

 ** _Going back a bit further in the chapter, we have Red's problem. With low resources, it is indicated that he's practically starving himself for the sake of the younger members of the group. How much more can he take without going completely insane? We'll just have to see._**

 ** _And of course, we have yet another emotional breakdown with Dawn. Why are these characters just so emotional? Well, you know, they are children in adolescence. Could she be on her period? Maybe, but that would mean that both Drew and Gary are too xD_**

 ** _This is probably the longest afterword I've had.._**

 ** _Oh! Oh!_**

 ** _So I'd love to hear opinions on characters and I would also really love to hear some survival situation suggestions. You know, just to make it so that I have tons of options to choose from. Since... I'm really bad at coming up with this stuff, so far I've only done the basics... Oh! And I'd like to hear whether or not you would read a new story at the same time as this one!_**

 ** _There might be a little storm or typhoon, suggested by PolarDawn in the future, hint, hint._**

 ** _Yep! That's it!  
I encourage you all to review!_**

 ** _Until next time!-_**

 ** _~Bear_**


	22. Chapter 22

**Here's Chapter 22!**

 **Oh. My. God. I'm so god freaking sorry! I reread my last chapter a third time and caught all sorts of spelling errors. Like seriously, what the hell was I thinking when I was typing?! Ehhh... But I'm going to keep my chapters the way they are just because I want to be able to look back on them and learn from those errors in the future. So bear with me, I promise everything will get better!**

 **So the week or so before the Holidays are extremely busy. But not to worry, I've got another update right here!**

 **I've also got bronchitis so I've been in a freakishly painful coughing fit for the past couple weeks xD**

 **Anyways, before I give you my little gratitude notes, I'd like to just let you all know about the new story I started. Of course, I'll still be continuing this one, but I really took up an interest in this story. After Survival of the Fittest is over, I'll start a new one to go along with my new fanfiction. So yeah, my new fanfic should be posted soon and I encourage you to check it out!**

 **It's called Lovely Mine, another Ikarishipping story.**

 **I guess you could say that it's both slice-of-life and realistic-fiction. I'll just give you a brief summery of it.**

 **This isn't the official one, but Dawn is a girl diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A disease that surprised everyone as it is incredibly rare for a child to have it. With the average life expectancy of two to five years, she is currently at the beginning of her fifth year, very lucky to be alive. However, because of the disease, her body has begun to break down muscle-wise. Confined to a wheelchair in her second year and losing her right arm in the third, the treatment Dawn receives at school is almost too cruel to bear. To top it off, her lungs have begun to break down even more, limiting the amount of time and how fast she can move, along with risky surgeries. In an accident, she meets Paul, a boy who then places himself in debt to her after indirectly causing her to panic and overexert, thus resulting in lung failure.**

 **So yeah, I hope you guys will check it out!**

 **Gratitude/comments:**

 **ElectroPhoenix, thanks for reading! I'm glad you liked the Ikarishipping! Yeah... Lucas definitely will get pissed xD and that's a great idea for Red, but unfortunately, I think any pictures of his fiancé were lost in the fire. Thanks again!**

 **Kindness Over London, thanks for reading and reviewing c:! I think we're all due for some rain, so thanks! It's okay for the swear, I don't mind. It's your own personal opinion, and I totally agree on you with Leaf and Gary. But I think I'll find some way to turn things around, huhuhuu. Maybe?**

 **Tropicallight, thank you! I'm happy you thought that both of the sections were cute ^-^! I won't promise anything, but I'll try to add in Pokeshipping soon. Thanks again for reading!**

 **QUEENSPELLER67, thanks for reviewing! And 6 hours of constant bickering would be nice, but maybe we'll save that idea for later xD**

 **Blacknebulastar, thanks for reading and reviewing! No one is going to hate on you xD Here, all opinions are respected. But hey, thank you so much! I'm glad that this story is your favorite!**

 **Guest... Or maybe I'll just take a guess and say that you're Alpha The Loyalist? vvv  
**

 **Alright, Alpha, Let me just say that I look forward to your comments every time. I'm glad you could find the time to read this story and in response the Lord Of The Flies, this story was actually created after I saw that movie (I didn't read the book, but does it really matter? Haha). Lord Of The Flies was really what got me interested in writing a slightly gruesome survival story. But of course, there weren't cannibals in Lord Of The Flies despite the boys' vicious behavior and there were no girls either. Oh! And I'm glad you're back! I am really, really happy that you liked Leaf and Gary's character development. Honestly, I've never been in a real relationship before so I was skeptical as to whether or not I conveyed the emotions properly. But if your reaction was like that, it must've been accurate! As for the special items... So like a condom or two? Haha, no, I'm just kidding xD. So, that's about it for my part. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **That is all I have to say to you wonderful people reading my story. On another note, I'll warn you guys that this chapter will be focusing in on gathering supplies. So unfortunately, unlike my other chapters which I had wrote slowly with deep meaning and words, this chapter will be rather shallow and light-hearted, focusing in on the survival aspect which may not seem as frantic as I had planned.**

 **Well, that's about it for now, don't forget to check out Lovely Mine!**

 **Onto the story!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon ;-;

* * *

 _Chapter 22:_

"Hey!"

Lucas shouted, stomping over to where Paul was holding Dawn. As the sun began to set, stormy-gray clouds coated the sky above. The beautiful mixtures of red, orange, pink, and purple began to disappear and the winds picked up.

"Put my girlfriend down!" He snarled, glaring coldly at the much taller boy.

Gently setting Dawn down, he turned to face Lucas. Many eyes were on them and most of them were either blank or skeptical. Paul raised an eyebrow at Lucas, crossing his arms and expecting him to say something.

"You-"

"It's going to rain, I suggest we take shelter." Red cut Lucas off, pointing his finger in the direction of the clearing. "Anyone who wants to help build the shelter, gather fallen branches and the largest leaves off of the trees along the beach."

"Hnn.." Paul grumbled, walking off towards the edge of the woods. Dawn said nothing, only blushing lightly before being pulled away by Misty and May. Her eyes followed after Paul who was joined by Ash, Drew, and surprisingly, Lucas.

"Are we going for wood or coverage?" She questioned, shaking off the embarassment of having Paul pick her up. It felt amazing and refreshing, things that she had never felt with anyone other than Nicholas. Though now, she decided to focus more on helping out the others so that they'd have proper shelter.

"I suppose we'll just gather whatever we can find." Misty coughed before looking over at May. "But I think May shouldn't do any heavy lifting with her arm."

"I can help, my left arm still works." The said girl snorted and rolled her eyes.

" _Sure_ you can." Misty laughed before leading them towards the woods. Both Dawn and May followed, picking up the pace as the ginger rushed forward. Branches and leaves crackled underneath their feet as they walked, picking up the lush, large dark green leaves that drooped from the branches that shot out of the tree trunks. There seemed to be even more leaves and twigs littering the earth than before. It wouldn't be very surprising if it snowed, given how cold it's gotten.

They hadn't gotten very far into the woods when she began to feel very uncomfortable in the darkening woods. Dawn felt shivers run down her back as she followed her two friends to who knows where. Would they be able to make a proper and big enough shelter in time? It seemed as if it would storm very soon and the last thing they all needed was a sick group-member.

"Dawn."

A certain ginger's voice interrupted her observations. Looking up, she spotted Misty about a yard ahead of her with May. Dawn flushed once more in embarassment, she had gotten so caught up in the world around her, she hadn't noticed them move away. Briefly jogging, the navy-blue haired girl caught up with them before stopping in front of a large, sturdy tree branch.

It was a lighter brown than most of the trees around them and hung low, almost to the ground. However, it was still attached to the tree and just barely beginning to break off.

"May, can you take a look around the area?" She inquired.

"I guess.." The brunette let out an exasperated sigh before taking the armful of leaves from the other two girls. May knelt and began searching through the leaves sprouting from a nearby tree.

"Anyways, Dawn, help me out here." Misty yawned, pulling out a long, sharp stone blade. The rock resembled the fillet knife that Leaf had crafted up but the edges were more jagged. With a loud cracking sound, Misty began to hack away away at the small crevice between the branch and the tree trunk.

"How do I help?" Dawn took part of the branch in her hands and stared at it. "Pull it?" Lightly tugging on it, she looked up at her friend.

"Yeah, just place your hands here and put all your body weight on it." Misty pointed to an area on the thick branch just two inches away from where she was cutting.

"Like... This?" Placing her hands in the spot where she was pointing, Dawn put all of her weight onto it. She pushed down with all of her strength, lifting her feet from the ground. "This is kind of fun!" Giggling, she pushed herself up higher until a sharp splitting sound cracked through the air.

"..You're so easily amused." The fiery-red haired girl stared at her for a moment before cutting away at it with force. Now halfway through the branch, she stopped and let Dawn try and rip it off.

"What are you guys doing?" May raised her eyebrows, looking over her shoulder.

"Getting.. Materials!" Dawn shouted with a big grin on her face. Together with Misty, she threw all of her weight down and onto the branch. However it then let out a loud, explosive noise before it broke down the middle. Both girls screamed as it dropped to the ground, causing them to land painfully on it.

"Shit!" Misty cursed loudly, wincing upon having her stomach make impact with it.

"Fu-!" Hitting her face on the hard branch, Dawn cried out. She fell backwards and onto the ground, bringing her hand up to rub the red aching mark it left going along her jawline.

"You dumb-asses are great!" May laughed hysterically, accidentally ripping the thick leaf she had plucked. Upon ruining it she stopped laughing and frowned before letting out a small whine. It had seemed large enough to block out the rain and it was a pretty yellow and green color.

"Suck a twig!" Dawn scowled, sitting up and pulling the branch out from underneath Misty who simply groaned in pain. The ginger then stood up and stumbled backwards before leaning on a nearby tree for support.

"A twig? That's an interesting one." Misty coughed, raising an eyebrow.

"Jeez, Dawn, I think you've been spending too much time around Paul." Swinging her sling back and forth in boredom, May waggled her eyebrows. "Gettin' feistier these days."

"I'm dating Lucas and I have not been hanging around Paul. What does he even have to do with this? Besides, at least we got something to help build the shelter." She rolled her eyes before shrugging.

"Well... Never mind, whatever you say." Smirking, the one-armed brunette began to collect all of her things together.

"It's probably been about forty-five minutes, should we keep looking?" Misty, who quickly recovered from the surprise blow to her gut, spoke up. Bending down, the girl grabbed ahold of the thicker end of the branch. It was about thirteen feet long and couldn't be moved by one person without having to drag it. "Dawn?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Realizing that Misty had started to move farther into the woods, Dawn picked up the thinner end once more and lifted it off of the ground. Resting it on her shoulder, the petite girl moved after the more muscular ginger who was holding her end under her arm.

"May, how many do you have?" Dawn questioned, rolling her shoulder in attempt to relieve herself of the stiff feeling she had.

"About an armful, you think it'll be enough?" May shifted a bit, a bit uncomfortable with the ticklish leaves rubbing against her exposed skin.

"To completely cover nine of us plus a grown man? Nope." She shook her head in response before shrugging her shoulders and causing the large branch to shake. "Misty, what do you think?"

"Depends on what the guys find. I doubt they'd be out looking for leaves. If anything, they're probably looking for as many branches as possible so they get bragging rights." The red-head replied with laughter just barely detectable in her voice.

"I bet you're right.. Drew's probably going to rub it in our faces." May moaned at the thought of it.

"What about Gary? Doesn't he have a whole lot of pride?" Dawn pointed out.

"'Don't really know where he and Leaf went." Misty replied, walking a bit faster.

"H-hey! Slow down!" The azure-haired girl whined jokingly, speeding up to match her pace once more.

"Maybe they're doing dirty shiz." May snickered, walking next to Dawn.

"May!" She elbowed her, laughing a little bit.

"Leaf is a very modest girl-" Misty smiled, looking over her shoulder as they tread through the forest.

"Yeah, but Gary is a very horny boy." A certain brunette quickly interjected.

"Someone's on fire tonight." Dawn shook her head.

"Hell yeah." May reached and ripped yet another large leaf from a tree branch as they walked.

"It's getting dark... Dawn, let's grab that one branch and leave." Misty nodded over to where a fallen limb lay in the overgrown grass and intertwining roots.

"Alright, easy enough!"

* * *

"Hey, I think we all just need to chill."

Drew frowned, stopping and shoving Paul and Lucas away from each other. He moved them so that Ash was now in between him, much to the raven-haired boy's displeasure. At the moment, he stood as the mediator and was not happy with the duty forced upon him.

"Why do I have to be the wall?!" Ash whined, eyes narrowing as the boy quietly snorted and walked ahead without replying. Just as awkward as Drew, he waited for Lucas to move. He wasn't really sure why they were walking in a line, but perhaps not allowing Lucas and Paul to see each other's faces was a good thing. "Dude!"

"Quit your whining." A certain plum head growled, roughly pushing him from behind. Paul was on edge, having been grouped together with the love interest of Dawn. However, he couldn't complain as the other black haired boy needed to contribute somehow.

"You could be a bit nicer to him." Lucas rolled his eyes before following after Drew. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his pants while his scarf swayed lightly in the wind. Even though it was days after they had crash landed on an island who knows where, he still somehow looked fresher than the rest of them. Drew raised an eyebrow at this before shaking his head and deciding not to think about it, instead turning his head back forward.

"Like you've been any nicer." Paul muttered bitterly, ripping a dangling branch off of a tree to his left as he passed by. He winced in pain, remembering the painful injury in his lower left arm. The branch was thick but slightly decayed, not that Paul cared. If he were to stick it in the ground, it would stand up to his chest.

"You've had your moments too." Coughing, Lucas picked up the pace as Drew began to move faster.

"Drew, where are we going?" Ash questioned, curiosity childishly glistening in his eyes.

"Not far, just around the area to look for stuff. We'll stop in a couple minutes." Drew looked around before flicking his hair and nodding in agreement with himself.

Sky darkening, he realized that they would have to move and search quickly. Sighing, Drew rubbed his temples to relieve himself of an occurring headache. As much as he respected Red, making a last minute decision was definitely not his smartest move ever. It made him wonder whether or not he was actually feeling okay. Dawn's earlier outburst made him realize Red's neglect to fill his own needs. But then again, no one is perfect.

He kept on walking, trying to ignore Paul's mutters, Lucas' huffs, and Ash's sighs. The atmosphere was thick and stiff, anything but comfortable. Head throbbing in pain, he stopped, leaning up against a large oak tree for support.

"Let's look here." Drew grumbled, picking up a fallen tree limb. He received no reply, only hearing the rustling of the other three moving around.

"Should one of us have stayed back with Red?" Ash spoke up after several moments of silence.

"Gary and Leaf will be back to help him." Paul replied, breaking another branch with a loud crack and splitting sound. Nodding, Ash moved over to Drew, who was trying to rip what looked like a log out of the cold earth. Yet another long period of nothing but rustling leaves and brushing grass overtook them. Even Ash didn't know what to say and was now wishing that Misty was around to scold him to keep his mind off of other things.

"What the..." This time, Lucas' voice broke through the air.

"What's up?" Drew inquired, just as the log was torn out just a bit more. Pulling back in surprise, he quickly glanced over in the direction of Lucas' voice before returning his attention to it. Meanwhile, Ash was tugging and yanking away at it, trying to get it out.

"There's just this... thing."

Paul let out an exasperated sigh before treading over to where Lucas stood. A mixture of disgust and confusion hit him as his eyes set themselves on the thing laying before him. It seemed to be breathing and it resembled that of a person. Realizing what the giant mound of flesh and hair was, Paul backed up. He tried to put as much distance between himself and what he recognized to be one of the mysterious savages.

"Get... Get away from that thing!" Shouting, he grabbed the back of Lucas' shirt, dragging him back.

"Ow! Let go! Dude, what's your problem?!" The black haired boy hissed in response. Now attracting the attention of both Ash and Drew, Paul stopped, yards away from where the creature lay. It stirred and seemed to be waking up, striking fear within Paul.

"What is that?" Ash and Drew stood behind them, peering over their shoulders to get a good look at it. Ears twitching, the savage's body began to twitch, slightly moving the hair out of the way as it made small movements. Seemingly male, it had beefy-looking arms and looked like it would be fairly tall standing up.

"Did anyone else bring a weapon?" Paul hissed silently, whipping the sharp wooden spear he had brought with him. Though both Ash and Lucas flashed him confused looks, Drew looked down nervously.

"I have my bow.. but it needs arrows." He replied in a low tone.

"Shit." Looking to the other two, Paul flashed them sharp glares of expectancy.

"I left mine back at camp." Ash mumbled, tilting his cap downwards.

"I never got one." Lucas averted his eyes before picking up a rock about the size of a small loaf of bread. "These will work, right? You want to kill it?"

"It'll wake up if we move anymore and I doubt that will kill it unless you get up close. Just get ready, I'm going to go for it, be ready to restrain it." Paul murmured, receiving several nods. Looking back over to the savage, his eyes became slits as he thoroughly scanned his enemy. It wore what seemed to be a white and black suit. However, it was tattered and dirtied with mud, carrying a foul stench. This male creature looked both human and feral at the same time, just like the others.

His hair was as long as his shoulders, light brown and unkept. He lay in a fetal position on the ground in the grass, letting out occasional puffs of air. Creeping silently towards him with his spear pointed, Paul moved, trying not to wake him up. Paul let his breath go in and out of his mouth as silently as possible. Tightening his grip, he stalked towards it.

"Shit." Paul cursed under his breath as his foot brushed over some leaves scattered across the earth. The savage's eyes snapped open revealing pale green orbs. They sent shivers down Lucas, Ash, and Drew's spines, but Paul was unfazed. After all, he was used to the inhumane looks these creatures flashed him.

"Nnugh.." He grumbled, sitting up and glaring right at Paul. Reaching back, he scratched his back before getting onto his feet. The feral man stood to be about the same height as Red, looming over them all. Just as bulky and muscular as Paul expected, he watched the plumhead, seemingly waiting for him to move. This creature was not afraid.

"..." Wordlessly, Paul lunged forward, his feet propelling him. He made an attempt to skewer the savage's head by driving the spear right through it. However the man let out a noise that sounded like a snarl before bolting out of the way. Before he could react, it snatched up Paul's spear by the shaft and threw it off to the side. Letting go at the last second, the boy stumbled before putting distance between himself and the creature.

"So these things are human?" Ash hesitated before chucking a rock at his head with all his might. The rock hit his face, infuriating the feral man. With a screech, he flung himself several times at Drew who just barely managed to evade.

"They _were_ human." Panting, the chartreuse haired boy corrected him.

"Damn it all!" Lucas shouted, jumping up and bringing the rock he had picked up earlier down onto the large beast's head.

"Wait-!" Ash's eyes widened as he cried out a warning. But by then, it was too late. The tall wild man swung his right fist around and pound a punch into Lucas' chest.

"Ack!" Lucas spat as he was flung back against a nearby oak tree. Saliva burst from his mouth due to the force of the man's punch. Letting his head hang low to the ground, he fumbled around for another rock.

"Leave it to me." A cocky smirk spread across Drew's face as he caught his breath and landed a kick in the savage's stomach. Seemingly poised, he hissed and went to kick back at him. However, once again, Drew dodged it, retaking position behind Ash.

Meanwhile, Paul had used the time they had bought him to retake his spear. Silently, he moved while the beast's eyes were concentrated on Ash. He pierced his dominant arm, twisting it mercilessly. In a matter of seconds, the spear broke through the surface of his skin to the other side. It tore through the feral man's muscles and must've at least ripped a tendon.

Flailing around and screaming in pain and agony, the man howled before ramming himself into Paul. With the spear still stuck, he was left armless. Refusing to give up, Paul coughed out the spit collecting in his jaws. He reached and let his fingers touch the wooden shaft before pulling it out a little. As soon as Paul felt the wood upon his palms, the boy tore the spear out.

"Holy shit." Drew gasped, accompanied by the ongoing roars of the feral man. His tattered, dirtied white suit was now soaked with blood around the right sleeve of the arm and red splattered the rest of his clothing. Blood spurted from the wound, onto the ground. The earth was tainted a scarlet color, looking even darker in the shadows of the woods and the stormy-gray clouds above.

"Paul, you made it angrier!" Ash yelled, throwing sticks and rocks at it.

"Says the one throwing shit at it!" He snapped back, spinning the spear as fast as he could while walking towards the man. The feral man began to back away as Paul neared him, afraid of the rapidly moving wheel of brown coming close. Suddenly stopping, Paul jabbed the spear at his chest repeatedly. However the beast simply stuck his wounded hand out, allowing the spear to go straight into his hand.

"Move the fuck out of the way!" Ash shoved Paul as the creature in front of them let out a ear-deafening shriek, grabbing the spear with it's left hand. They could only watch as he slowly ripped it out of his right palm with sickening slicks and pops. It broke the spear on his knee before chucking part of the broken wood at the raven-haired boy. "Nn!" He winced as it struck the left side of his face. Purple and blue began to coat his jaw.

"Ah... Thanks." Paul grumbled, rushing forward and slamming his fist so hard into the man's head, they began to hurt. Stepping back a couple feet, he watched and waited to see how he would react. In the darkness it was difficult to see, wind bit at their exposed flesh, and the beatings they'd received from this creature didn't help them in the least bit.

"Where's Drew..?" Lucas muttered, looking around.

"Huh?" Holding his jaw, Ash turned, also scanning the area they were in. However, they could see nothing but the person in front of next to them. Even with their eyes adjusting, details began to fade as the clouds blocked out more of the night sky.

"Shit.. I can barely see." Paul's eyes squinted as he watched the massive figure in front of him lumber and teeter around on his feet. He clenched his aching fists. Had he really landed a punch that hard? It was surely enough to give the beast a headache and fortunately, Paul's fingers were not broken.

"Nugh..!" Regaining his balance, the massive man smacked the boy to the ground.

Unable to even take a breath of air, Paul was thrust down with brute force. Choking and coughing, he quickly snapped out of his brief moment of pure shock. He winced as he pulled himself upwards before inspecting himself. His head seared with pain, his muscles ached, his arms and legs were scratched and bruised, and he was feeling incredibly weak compared to the feral man.

"Move!"

"Get up!"

As his vision slowly began to clear up, Paul fumbled around to try and get a grip on reality once more. Voices were yelling at him, but he didn't seem to care for some reason. For reasons even he didn't know, Paul just wanted to move at his own pace. That is, until he felt the icy cold pale green eyes on him.

"Paul!" Ash yelled, running at the wild man. He jumped right onto the tall savage's back before being thrown off and pounded into a tree. Blood flew up and out of his mouth as he groaned and slid down the tree. "Bastard.." He spat. In response, the man approached Ash and began to beat him with his fists and feet. Cries and shrieks of pain along with gurgling noises emerged from Ash's mouth. Once he was done and the blood of Ash had been spilled along with wet saliva, the savage dragged his feet over to Paul.

Paul could almost feel the beast's breath on him as the figure looming over him drew closer. However suddenly, a small flash of green in the darkening shadows flashed in his eyes. Confused, Paul could only stare upwards as the feral man shrieked loudly and began whipping around wildly. Scanning the area for the source of his rage, he squinted before locking his eyes on a smaller dark figure clinging to the man's back.

"Drew?" Paul gapped slightly, keeping his shock low-key.

The said boy had leapt onto the back of the feral man and was now clinging for dear life. His own hair whipped and lashed around with the man's messy unkept hair. Blood spurted everywhere, splashing onto the ground and onto the other three boys. A glint of silver entered Paul's vision as Drew swiftly raised his head before dropping it back down behind the large savage's head, supposedly on his neck.

In an instant, the savage was brought down to the ground, Drew on top of him. Both had fallen only inches away from Paul, much to his surprise. Drew's head jerked up and down, jaws closing around the back of the man's neck. Blood was smeared all over the boy's face and on the ground around them. Lucas, who had been standing several feet away whirled around before heading towards the nearby bushes and throwing up.

Sickening sloppy sucking noises could be heard, but it appeared to be that Drew was spitting out the flesh he had in his mouth. As the body underneath him grew limp, Paul stared blankly as Drew stood up, stepping away from the large corpse and falling back against the same tree that Ash was currently pressed against.

Blood stained his face and fresh scarlet drops trickled down his throat and sunk into the fabric of his shirt. The blood appeared to be almost black in the current lighting and Paul could just barely see a tired, worn out expression displayed across his face. Even in the poor lighting, he could see Drew pull his bow off his shoulder and begin to gently caress it.

"Drew... What was that?" A shiver ran up Paul's spine as he reached for something to grab onto. Finding a half of his spear which had been broken earlier, he pulled it towards him and held it cautiously up, ready to stab his so-called friend at any moment. "Get away from Ash." He hissed, malice in his voice.

Ash, who hadn't been paying too much attention to the recent scene played out, was coughing erratically beside Drew. The familiar dark liquid dripped from his hands as he hung his head, resting it in them. His shoulders moved up and down and his body wildly jolted about as he wheezed and coughed.

Slowly, Drew rose to his feet, stepping away from Ash and towards Paul. Slightly intimidated, Paul backed away before taking a deep breath.

"Open your mouth." He demanded. Drew complied, opening his mouth. However Paul could not see his teeth. Scowling he glared straight at the chartreuse boy. "Bite down."

"Uhm.." Awkward and hesitant, the said boy bit down, exposing his teeth. But what was shocking was the face that the canines and premolars on both his upper and lower jaw were sharpened and plated with silver. His incisors and front teeth seemed to be slightly sharper than the average person's teeth but they were not plated at all and not sharpened to daggers.

"What the hell?" Paul grumbled, eyes now staring intensely at his mouth. Nervous, Drew closed his mouth before slinging his boy which was in his hands back around his shoulder.

"Let's just get Lucas and Ash so we can go... I'll explain later, help me get the branch." He spoke quickly, doing the best he could not to make direct eye contact with Paul.

"I'm good now, just don't step over there in the bushes." Lucas wiped his mouth on his sleeve, taking his time and approaching the three.

"Gross." Ash chuckled lightly before breaking out in a continuous cough. It seemed as if he couldn't spit or throw up anymore blood as he let his hands fall to his sides before stumbling to his feet.

"Alright... I suppose we'll be going now, but I don't trust Drew so I'll be leading." Paul muttered, stuffing the end of his broken spear partially into his waistband. In a matter of seconds, he was over to the branch they had set aside, stepping over the dead body of the feral man. He lifted the thick end of the large, long branch before giving Drew a look of expectancy.

"Oh! Sorry!" Nodding, he rushed over and grasped onto the thinner end of the branch, a slightly sad look flashing across his face. Ash picked up two of the rocks he and Lucas had thrown at the man before treading after them along with Lucas. However they hadn't gone far when Paul stopped them and set his end of the branch down into the dirt. "Paul?" Drew questioned.

"Hold up." He made his way back over to the bloodied corpse of the feral man. Paul stooped, carefully removing the clothing from the man. It was a bit revolting, the stench and amount of dirt smothered all over the suit. Folding it as neatly as he could, he inspected the body for anything useful.

"Paul." Lucas called.

"Hang on." Paul replied as something on the man's wrist caught his eye. It was a gray and white watch, stained with dust and the beast's own blood. And it seemed to be working too! The minute changed from seven to eight and the over all time seemed to be ten thirty-eight in the evening. As to what day it was, unfortunately the watch was not the type that listed that.

Even so, it was good enough. Nodding to himself, Paul stood up with the clothes and watch he had removed from the man's wrist in his arms. Silently, he headed back to where the group was waiting.

"I'll take care of these... Lucas, you carry the other end." He yawned, walking forth, not bothering to wait for the three to react.

"H-hey, Paul you got to give us a minute!" Drew frowned a little bit as Lucas wordlessly made his way around Ash to pick up the thick end of the branch which Paul had abandoned.

"Hurry up." He growled, stopping for a brief moment before continuing.

"Why did you take that man's clothes?" Ash inquired, jogging past Drew and Lucas to walk beside Paul who gave him a cold, irritated glare.

"Use your head." The plum head replied bluntly.

"But I really don't get why you stripped him?" He gave him a skeptical look before sighing and looking back ahead.

There was nothing else but the random screeches of animals in the distance and the pattering or thuds of feet traveling through leaves or dirt. They had to stop a couple times to let Drew and Lucas catch their breath, but aside from that, Paul figured that the group did pretty well moving quickly in the dark.

"We're low on resources so I figured these would help.." Paul grumbled after several moments.

"Hm?" Ash looked up at him with a curious expression which soon broke into a friendly grin. "You aren't so bad after all, you know?"

"Shut up." Averting his eyes, he snorted before tripping a little bit. He had not seen the root jut out of the ground. It was a miracle that they could see at all, the leaves were less dense and the clouds had cleared up just a little, leaving patches of glowing night in the skies above. Even so, it was still fairly hard to maneuver around.

"Should we tell anyone about this?" Drew murmured, just barely audible from the back.

"I think we should just tell Red." Lucas voiced his opinion without a second thought.

"No." Paul shook his head.

"Why not? Isn't Red the most important one?" The black haired boy retorted.

"Of course he is, but like he said, these types are things that everyone should know." He growled.

"So what you're saying is that we should also tell Gary and the girls?" Ash tilted his head a bit and stared up at Paul for confirmation.

"Exactly." Paul nodded with a grunt. "They're entitled to know the dangers floating around."

It went quiet after that. After all, there was nothing much to talk about. There were sounds such as wheezing, coughing, and grunting echoing out as they stumbled along. Paul hadn't really thought about the condition of the others or even himself. His body ached and he bet that everyone else was hurting as well.

The purple-blue bruise on Ash's jaw almost seemed to grow bigger in Paul's eyes as he squinted and moved a bit closer to get a better look. After seeing it, he moved back away before continuing to walk ahead and think back on the recent events. Drew and Lucas seemed to be the least beat up. However it was only to be expected as Ash and Paul himself had received most of the hits and beatings. Now that he thought about it, everyone, including him, but Drew had been hit at least once.

Paul's eyes narrowed on the ground in front of his feet. That guy seemed to be unbelievably fast with good reflexes. On top of that, his teeth made him all the more threatening. He was sort of glad that Drew was fighting on their side as Paul was certain that he was a more capable fighter than anyone else there. Although, the only problem was his overly cocky and slightly emotional personality.

"Are we almost there yet?" Lucas' voice interrupted his thoughts. Surprisingly, it had no malice or whining sound to it.

"We should be, keep it up." Drew replied moments before he could. His words were very encouraging much to Paul's surprise. Originally, he had thought that everyone in the group hated Dawn's boyfriend or something.

Another long period of silence crossed over them until finally, Paul let Ash walk past. Slowing to a stroll right next to Lucas, he nervously shuffled the clothing of the man he carried in his arms.

"Do you need something?" Lucas' jaw tightened and he gave Paul a cold expression.

"Hnn..." Averting his eyes, Paul tightened his grip around the fabrics and the watch resting atop them.

"Well? I'm certain you didn't come walk by me to be friendly." He raised an eyebrow, cold expression changing to a more skeptical look. Pursing his lips, the plum head hesitated before closing his mouth. If he didn't choose his words carefully enough, there would surely be some problems and Drew, Dawn, Red, and even Misty would yell at him for starting it. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Paul decided to try it.

"Do you love her?" He murmured quietly.

"Excuse me?" Lucas looked a bit shocked by the question. "Who?"

"Do you really love her, Dawn?" Paul grumbled, walking just a pace faster after saying it.

"Of course I do, she's mine and I'm hers." The black haired boy's arms fidgeted as he said it, causing his end of the branch to bob up and down several times as he shifted it in his arms.

"Hey Lucas, hold still, will you?" Drew called out from behind.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it." Came his reply as he sighed before looking up at Paul. "Why?"

"Just wondering.." Paul mumbled, moving from beside Lucas and jogging up and ahead of Ash.

"Hey, Paul!" Lucas called out, loud enough for both Ash and Drew to hear. Turning his head, Paul set his coal black eyes on Lucas' gray orbs, shining with seriousness.

"Even if **I'm** not **hers**..."

"Eh..?"

" **She** is **mine.** "

* * *

 ** _HOLY CRAP I AM DONEEEEE!_**

 ** _Break sort of just started for me and I've decided to celebrate with this wonderful chapter that I've been writing for a couple days due to both my schedule and just pure laziness, haha._**

 ** _I am so glad for it to be over, this chapter was just sorta boring in my opinion._**

 ** _Anyways, what happened this chapter?:_**

 ** _A last minute scramble for supplies_**

 ** _Could it be that a typhoon is on the rise?_**

 ** _Yet another savage was discovered, however this one was a somewhat massive beastly man._**

 ** _Well hey, it took a lot of pain, sweat, and blood, but at least the group has got fabric on hand, large branches to build the main structure of the shelter (Though they're going to need a hell lot more than just two or three), and thick, big leaves to create the walls and roof._**

 ** _At the end, Paul randomly begins to wonder about Lucas' love for Dawn. Is it genuine or is it simply just lust? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out!_**

 ** _That's about it, I haven't got much else to say other than..._**

 ** _Check out Lovely Mine! It should be released in a moment!_**

 ** _Thanks!_**

 ** _Feel free to leave a review or two, I enjoy reading them!_**

 ** _Until next time,_**

 ** _~Bear~!_**


	23. Chapter 23

**I hope everyone had a happy holidays and a wonderful break c:**

 **I'm sorry I haven't really gotten much writing done. I admit, I totally have been neglecting my writing and I apologize again for that.**

 **So! Here's chapter 23, and I assure you, it will be a great one.**

 ** _Gratitude/Comments:_**

 **ElectroPhoenix, thanks for reading and reviewing! I suppose you'll just have to find out.**

 **Kindness over London, thank you for reading and reviewing :D I'm happy that my last chapter blew you away ^-^**

 **Tropicallight, thanks for dropping by to read and review. I don't really think there's much to hide about the identity of the man in the suit. So I'll just tell you that the man was intended to be the captain, pilot, leader, etc of a certain group. I won't say anymore about it, but information will be disclosed on that soon. Oh- and in response to what Drew did at the end, Lucas was moving the branch while talking to Paul. So, since both he and Drew were holding the branch they'd picked up, his movements began to move Drew's end of the branch too. Hope that made sense, haha.**

 **It's alright, this time of year is real busy, you know? BananaBomb, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad that chapter 21 is enjoyable and I assure you that more information on the events from chapter 22 will be explained and disclosed. Let me just say, that Drew is not a savage. He had his teeth filed and then plated with silver making them seemingly weapons. Now, why did he do this? You'll just have to find out! As for Paul, yeah, I didn't want to make him that tough, overpowered character that loves to hurt people and is really powerful in battle like most people depict him as. But he will definitely have his moment, everyone will. Not to worry, I have my own little plan for him. My last thing for you is that Dawn did NOT go into her split-personality in front of anyone other than Paul. The fact that only Paul knows her secret strengthens their bond. When she flipped out earlier, the others only took it as her having a mood-swing and emotional break down. Only Paul knew that something inside her was switching.**

 **Thank you very much, Blacknebulastar! I'm glad you could stop by to read and review once more. I suppose you'll just have to find out, read on, my child!**

 **Alright, that's it for now. But I'm going to advertise my story Lovely Mine once more, haha. If you haven't already checked it out, I encourage you to do so.**

 **Thanks!**

 **Now onto the story!**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

 _Chapter 23:_

"W-what on earth are you doing?!"

"Just get down on the ground." Paul snapped, grabbing Drew by his shoulders and throwing him down onto the sand.

They had already gotten back to the camp and put away the supplies gathered. It was now almost pitch black, the only thing allowing them to see was the light of the campfire. The girls were also back along with Leaf and Gary while Red was at his rock just off the beach fishing.

"Hey, what's up with you?" May frowned, shoving him roughly away from the chartreuse haired boy.

"This bastard has some explaining to do." He growled roughly, snatching a spear sticking up out of the ground near the spot where Red usually crafts.

"Whoa, whoa, chill out, Paul!" Gary's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Yeah-"

"Ketchum, Oak, you two just shut the hell up. You have no idea how much of a threat he is to us. He violently used his teeth as a weapon." Pointing the spear right at Drew, Paul's face darkened. Once again, Paul felt extremely weak as a small wave of fear flew over him.

"Drew, what is he talking about?" May questioned, holding her broken arm close to her body as a gust of wind blew at them. It almost seemed as if it were a hundred times more icy then usual. Drew stared up at the survivors gathering around him. He seemed to be incredibly speechless and somewhat terrified.

"He's dangerous." Lucas muttered quietly.

"Exactly. He already snapped once in rage, who knows what'll happen if he gets pissed again?!" Paul shouted.

"I agree with Paul. Until he speaks, we should keep away from him.." Misty shuffled by Ash's side, looking over at Lucas while pressing a damp piece of tattered cloth to Ash's bruised jaw.

"T-that's too cruel! Don't you think so, Leaf?" May argued, looking to her friend. The petite brunette looked startled upon hearing her name called for an opinion. Her eyes widened and her feet dug into the sand as she frantically searched her mind for something to say. "Leaf!"

"Leave her alone!" Gary suddenly snatched up Leaf's wrist and pulled her away from the other girl. This sparked even more curiosity in all of the chaos among the group. A light blush dusted her face before she wordlessly moved out of his grasp. It wasn't long until she recovered from her shock and her blush melted away.

"Don't touch me.." She growled quietly and stiffly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"Save the romance, I think we're all missing the main point here." Paul grit his teeth and tightened his jaw. "Drew. Has. Some. Explaining. To Do."

"I-I..." Drew stammered, getting back up on his feet. "I'm not hiding anything, I can explain."

"Oh- Can you?" The plum head laughed. "Y-"

"Paul." A certain someone's feminine voice caused the currently aggravated and slightly terrified boy to pause his words. "You need to give him a chance to explain. Don't tell him to explain if you won't let him."

Dawn spoke softly, tugging gently on the sleeve of his hoodie with her small hand. Even she thought he was acting unreasonable. Though, she knew it was only to be expected as the human mind was naturally built to be somewhat scared of the unknown. Reactions to the unknown went either way, in fear, or in curiosity. She smiled lightly at him.

"Urk.." He tensed up, averting his eyes. If he was embarrassed, he certainly did a good job of hiding it. There wasn't any other noticeable signs of fidgety movements or blushing. Dawn mentally huffed, Lucas surely would've reacted somehow if she had done that to him. "Alright."

"Thank you." Drew shivered before nodding to the blue haired girl. In response, she smiled before sighing and sitting down on a log next to Leaf and Misty, who had just finished tending to Ash. The fire was warm and comforting compared to the cold, bitter atmosphere in the woods.

"So..?" Gary raised an eyebrow, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. It went quiet for a moment and Leaf was mentally begging Red to come back. She froze for a moment, zoning out. If it was almost completely black out, what was Red doing out by that rock. Certainly he wasn't fishing at this hour. Turning her head, Leaf looked out, scanning the area where she remembered the large rock to be.

Her eyebrows knitted together in worry upon seeing a bright yellow-white light glowing in the distance, seemingly just off of the sandbar. He was most definitely fishing and working his butt off to feed them all. Guilt flooded over Leaf. They had all eaten their portions as if they were nothing while he spent hours just trying to scrape together anything he could. Tomorrow she would surely get up before the man and help him. After all, that's what her father would probably do if he was in her position.

"Alright.." Drew sighed and finally opened his mouth to speak, directing Leaf's attention from Red to him. Pulling his lips back, he bit down quickly, leaning towards the fire to allow them all to get a good look at his teeth. After a couple good moments, he released his hold on his mouth and let his hands drop to his sides. "There's really no big reason for it. I was in a band at my school, they used to sing some of those girly pop songs, then after a while they decided to change their appearance, and since I was the lead singer, they decided to make me look more wild... Or serious.. Probably more on the wild side."

"That's it? So basically you sharpened your teeth so you'd get your little boy band a more serious image?" Lucas snorted.

"Pretty much." Drew laughed and shrugged.

"And... How did you learn to violently rip people's throats out?" Paul inquired, slightly amused.

"Well, the guy technically wasn't a person.. But I never really use these things unless I'm eating meat. There hasn't been a whole lot of that since the crash.. Throats, meat, either way it's like the same thing, right?" A both careless and sheepish smile coated Drew's face.

"That's.. a bit sick." May gave into it, feeling a shiver run up her spine. Whether it was from the cold or from the fact that he compared eating meat to ripping away at someone's throats, it was extremely uncomfortable.

"Is it?" He replied, touching the silver lined teeth in his mouth with a tap.

"What about fish? Isn't that meat?" Ash questioned.

"Fish meat is thinner and easier to eat than actual meat from things like cows, pigs, lamb, whatever. I can't really sink my teeth into fish.." Drew stretched, walking over and letting himself flop down and onto another log around the campfire. "Any other questions?"

"Why did you want to change the image of your band?" Lucas yawned.

"Honestly, I really love girls... But it gets annoying after a while. In fact, we haven't exactly changed our image for real yet.. The gig we had received was supposed to be our big change. Actually, I was heading to it when we crash landed. My bandmates weren't with me because I overslept and had to catch another one. I was supposed to meet them in Kalos, but.. Life is full of disappointments, you know? It's no big deal anymore." He ran his fingers through his hair before resting his head in his hands. The light of the fire illuminated his face and sent a familiar feeling of warmth and security over him.

"Having girls all over you? Sounds like bliss." Gary teased, sitting down next to Drew and elbowing him in the ribs. His comment which was meant to be a joke however, was taken seriously. The spiky haired brunette received what he thought was an icy glare from Leaf.

"Anyways, if you're going to do anything with those teeth, gnaw on a stick or something." Paul let out an exasperated sigh before walking over towards Dawn and tapping her on the shoulder. "We need to talk. It's really import-"

"Aah!" Lucas yawned loudly, stretching his arms. "Dawn, baby, I'm tired and it's really late. I'm sure your exhausted, it's been a long day. Let's go to bed, my honey." He pulled Dawn by her arm to her feet before dragging the girl off towards the clearing around the big oak. Frowning, Paul decided to think nothing of it as for a split second, he swore an uncomfortable expression crossed her face. And they were dating, so it was only natural for them to want to sleep together.

"I'll go get Red... I.. I think that..." Leaf murmured silently, nervous as she had suddenly attracted both eyes and attention of everyone else. Even Ash, who was usually staring off into the space or talking with someone, usually Misty, was looking straight at her. After the recent events, it seemed as if everyone was confused about what they should do next. It felt as if everyone's eyes were burning into her flesh and assaulting her. Unconsciously, she looked to Gary for help.

"It's really late out, Lucas was right. Maybe we should all just hit the burlap sack for tonight." Gary spoke up casually, folding his arms behind his head.

"G-good idea." May chimed in awkwardly, being the first one to head off after Dawn and Lucas.

"Burlap sack?" Paul grunted with a slight smirk on his face.

"Yep." He replied with a grin.

"Why burlap?" Ash cocked his head to the left. Misty raised her fist, about to hit him for the stupidity of his question, but lowered it upon deeming that it wasn't worth her energy. She sat wordlessly, simply shaking her head with a groan.

"'Dunno, you know? Burlap is rad." Once again, Gary shrugged his shoulders.

"Tote bags?" Drew gave a sharp toothed grin.

"No, no, it has to be a sack made out of burlap." He shook his head.

"Why only burlap sacks? What about burlap-"

"I'm going to bed. I think you guys should too." Misty cut May off, standing up and walking towards the clearing.

"W-wait for me, Mist!" Ash called after her, stumbling as he abruptly stood and rushed after the ginger.

"It _is_ late..." Drew stood and followed after Paul and May, leaving Gary alone by the fire.

He had decided to wait for Leaf and Red to return. After finding out that she was apparently an important part of his life, something had made him want to touch and be around the girl even more. Although, things had gotten a bit awkward since their time in the woods so it only made it harder to get close to her. Even though he said he had loved the old, short haired Leaf who was more open and smiley to other people like Dawn, it was a total lie when he had said he didn't love the new Leaf at all. And that was because either way she was herself and Gary liked it that way.

Waiting for her to come around was going to be hard.

* * *

"Red?"

The young man turned at the sound of both his name and the small splashing sounds of someone slowly wading through the ocean waters. He set his spear down and rubbed his eyes.

"Leaf. What are you doing out so late?" Sluggishly turning around, he watched as the said girl hoisted herself up and onto the big rock he was sitting on.

"I could ask you the same thing." She smiled gently, sitting cross-legged in front of him. He had bags under his eyes which were also red and puffy. Red looked incredibly thin and almost as frail as someone like Dawn. Sometimes the man really worried her.

"Fishing. We've only got enough to last us about two days if we keep the portions real low. How..." Taking off his hat, he ran his fingers through his thick, somewhat greasy hair. Even though they could rinse their hair in the salty sea water, there was nothing they could do about shampoo. Leaf had heard of flowers that work in place of shampoo, but unfortunately, it was probably not the right season for them to grow. Shaking her head, she shook the random unwanted thoughts from her head.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat?" She yawned, bringing her arms and legs close to her torso as another freezing gust of wind blew their way.

"I said, 'How is everyone?'" Red replied, beginning to wrap the fish he had speared in three large leaves. There were several of them, two of them were fairly big while the other three were sort of small. One of the biggest two was fat while the other was a bit more on the scrawny side. The last three, the smaller ones, were in average, being in between the looks of plump and slim. Given his luck this morning, it was unbelievable that he had actually landed anything bigger than his hand.

"Terrified of the unknown." Leaf murmured, gazing at the water below. Waves rolled back and forth, gently touching the big rock they were sitting on. The ocean waters were dyed in a sparkling light yellow as they were currently illuminated by Red's torch.

"And what makes you say that?" He raised an eyebrow at her before turning and pushing the leaf wrapped fish further onto the rock. Scooting closer to her, he sat, following the girl's gaze to the water in front of them.

"Did you know Drew had his teeth sharpened and plated?" She hesitated before questioning the young adult.

"Yes, although I figured it was a secret as he usually keeps his mouth closed and his lips moving quickly when he talks." A small laugh escaped his lips. "It makes him look a bit strange, no?"

"Ah.. Well we didn't know that. We all found out after he... sort of.." Trailing off, Leaf averted her eyes, hesitant as to whether or not she should inform Red of what the boys had fought and killed.

"Sort of..?"

"Ripped someone's throat out." She muttered quietly.

"A savage?" Red sighed, crossing his arms.

"Yeah... So a couple of us were extremely wary of him until he finally explained. Did you know he was in a boy band?" Leaf found herself somewhat more talkative and natural with him. It made her happy that she could say all the things she hadn't been able to all day.

"No, that's news to me. Today has been pretty wild, hasn't it?" He smiled at her before uncrossing his arms. Red moved a bit closer to her before softly stroking the top of her head. A content expression spread across Leaf's face and for a moment, it seemed as if she were simply with her father safe at home.

"Very wild.."

There was a period of silence. The only sounds were wind whistling in their ears accompanied by the rolling waves. No stars lit up the sky as clouds took their place. Leaf noticed that Red almost had the same build as her own father. Both were lean and taller than most people. Something about being touched by the young man made her feel a million times safer. Although, it was not to be taken the wrong way, it simply meant that Red gave off the same secure aura as her father.

"Red.." Her voice came out in a small whisper much to Leaf's surprise.

"Hm?" Red turned to her with a slightly questioning look on his face.

"I love you." Leaf mumbled unconsciously. Everything around her seemed to be fuzzy, warm, and somewhat relaxing despite the cold, bitter weather.

"Oh? And what about Gary?" He replied with a gentle chuckle.

"Not that way." She shook her head, a slight grin also gracing her lips. "I love you like family."

"I see. So you do like Gary. He seems like a charming young man once you get by his light teasing." Red rambled, causing a light blush to appear on the girl's face.

"N-no! I mean, we should focus more on survival then relationships, right?" Forcing the heat away from her face, she frowned and slapped on a more serious expression.

"I suppose that's true. But you can't work together without relationships of all sorts." He pointed out.

"W-well.." Glancing away, Leaf began to twiddle her thumbs. "Well what about you, Red?"

"Pardon?"

"Who do you love? Was there anyone special to you before we got here?" Leaf was a bit hesitant to discuss such matters with a grown man, but decided it might be interesting to hear. She looked back at him for an answer, now in a little bit of a better mood. "So-"

The girl cut herself off upon making eye contact with Red. Her cool jade green eyes met his glowing amber orbs. They were wet and shined as the light of the torch hit them, making them pop out even more. His face was frozen in what appeared to be shock. It seemed that her question was too personal, thus causing a sudden heavy wave of guilt to hit Leaf. Wet tears glistened and streaked both of his cheeks. Never in her life had she seen an adult cry that much.

He let out no noises of sobs nor wails. In fact, he must've been too depressed to. There was yet another period of silence flooding over them until Leaf finally mustered up all the courage she had to speak.

"W-W-We should probabl-"

"I love you too." Suddenly, she felt herself being roughly pulled. Just as Leaf was about to panic, she was lulled into pacification by a familiar warmth. Red had begun to stroke her head and run his fingers through her hair. He was now holding her in what seemed to Leaf like a desperate embrace. "You're like a daughter to me and right now you mean the world to me. I'm very jealous of your father for receiving a child such as you."

Leaf found herself speechless. It took her a moment to regain herself from her shock and hug him back. She was one of the few people at the center of his sanity and mind.

"My fiancé.." He breathed silently, letting go of the small girl. "She looks almost just like you.. It as if you came from her."

"I see.." Without the comforting warmth which she had been given from both Gary and Red, the world seemed a whole lot colder.

"I really wanted a daughter like you, but of course, I respect the whole 'no sex before marriage' thing." His eyes were loving, but they contained no lust much to Leaf's relief. She had read too many scenarios and articles where a man falls in love with one who looks like his lover. Now, she was certain that his fatherly emotions toward her were as genuine as hers were. Of course, she knew that Red wasn't that type of person anyways.

"We actually were about to get married when I arrived in Kalos... But unfortunately, I was a tad bit late." He laughed painfully before soaking his hands in the cold, salty water below and running them over his face. Pity began to pang her heart as she realized how much he'd been suffering both physically and mentally up until now.

"It'll be alright. We're going to get through this together, right? All nine of us. We're all in this together, you're not alone." Flashing him a confident smile, she fist pumped as if to change the depressing mood.

"You really are just like her." The last couple tears dripped from Red before he sat up and rubbed away the damp from his face. "So cheesy yet so pacifying to the heart."

"Then I'll happily be cheesy as long as you need me to."

* * *

"Food!"

May screeched, sitting up immediately. Drew, who was right next to her, yelped in surprise before moaning and slowly sitting up.

"Jesus, Maple." He rubbed his head. "You're going to wake everyone... Oh.."

He stopped when he saw that everyone else was wide awake, eating their portions out by the fire. Just as he was about to ask, Misty came out with their portions. Freshly cooked fish was handed to them but as much as they smelled good, Drew couldn't help but notice how much smaller they were now compared to yesterdays. Deciding not to complain, he quickly gulped his down while beside him, May shoved her face with the fish.

"If you're wondering why everyone's already awake, it's because Ash also woke us up by screaming." The ginger snorted, flashing them a smile before walking back out towards the campfire. It wasn't long until both May and Drew got up and followed her out, taking their seats on a log next to Gary.

While May fidgeted with her broken arm yet again, Drew looked around at the chatting group members. In a matter of seconds, he noticed how much closer Leaf and Red were sitting on the log directly across from them with Misty. Red seemed to be whittling Paul another spear with a average sized sharp, jagged piece of metal. The same piece of metal that the man had scavenged when they had first crash-landed.

Lucas was once more sitting uncomfortably close to Dawn and Ash was boasting to Paul about how many battles he'd won back in Unova. Misty and Leaf were looking at several colorful seashells which they had collected earlier that morning.

"Drew, help me with this." Gary called out. He had moved from his spot and was now pulling an old, empty turtle shell out of the hot sun. By now the clouds had cleared up quite a bit, however Drew could tell that it wouldn't be this sunny for long.

"What is that?" The chartreuse haired boy inquired, standing up and walking over to where Gary was.

"Misty found it. I filled it with seawater and let it evaporate in the heat." Shaking the shell gently to show him, Gary began to trace his fingertips through rough white salt.

"Interesting. But what are we going to use salt for? Flavoring fish?" Drew joked, pinching a bit of the salt before tasting it. There was only about a handful in the bottom of the container and would have to be used wisely. It would be great if they could find several more shells to use, but they had already gotten lucky enough with this one.

"Gross man, I don't even know if that's sanitary or anything. Does it taste good? The better the water the better the salt." He shuddered, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmm.. It's okay I guess. It's been so long since I've tasted sea salt, I don't really know what to compare it to. You did boil the turtle shell first yesterday, right?" His reply came slow as Drew took a moment to savor the flavor. "How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"Yes and to be a researcher, one must know as much as possible." Gary huffed, puffing out his chest with pride before sitting down in the sand with the shell in his lap. Soon enough, Drew took his seat right next to him on the slightly damp sand.

"That's cool. So do you know anything about medicines? Have you ever been to Kalos before?" Drew leaned forward in curiosity, completely blocking out the soft chattering and murmurs coming from the campfire area.

"Unfortunately, medicine is out of my knowledge and no, but I was going in name of my grandfather so I could expand my knowledge and become a researcher." The spiky haired brunette's eyes seemed to light up as he spoke. It seemed he was quite excited about his dreams.

"Wow. So what can we do with the sea salt?" He eyed the almost snow-white pile.

"Mmm.. Dental hygiene, food preservation, and getting rid of fishy odors so we don't have to smell the remains of the raw fish on Leaf and Red's hands.." His hand rose to his chin as Gary thought carefully through all of the possibilities. "Scaling fish, killing poison ivy, helping remove the pain of bee stings, and soap."

"That's... alot." Drew recounted everything Gary had listened. He really hadn't realized how useful salt could be in these scenarios. "You memorized all of that?"

"It's sort of basic logic." Shrugging, the other boy stood up before carrying the turtle shell over to Red. "So, Red-"

"Yeah, I was listening to you." The man stopped whittling with a smile. His fingers ran over the spear to feel it's sturdiness and texture before he stabbed it into the sand. "I think it's great that you know so much. I'm looking forward to hunting a real animal so let's save that salt for the meat if we can get anything."

"Ah.. Okay." Gary nodded. Of course, this man already had a plan formed before he could even think. After a couple of moments he realized that the low chattering had stopped and eyes were now on them.

"I feel we should get going on the shelter. Although I don't know if what we have will be enough." Red stood up and began to stretch.

"It probably won't." May replied to him quickly raising skeptical expressions.

"And how would you know?" Drew snorted, crossing his arms.

"I can tell just by looking at the pile of stuff, you empty-headed jellyfish." She shot back, clenching her good fist.

"What does that even mean?" He laughed.

"Ah, Drew, jellyfish don't have hearts or brains." Gary chuckled a little bit. "But May, jellyfish don't even have heads, so-"

"Gary, nobody likes a know-it-all." The brunette cut him off quickly.

"Anyways- what would you know about building shit?" Drew rolled his eyes, flipping his hair.

"Well, you know, my _daddy_ was a carpenter and gym leader while my _mommy_ was a former structural engineer." Sticking her tongue out, May began to swing her sling back and forth in boredom.

"Really now? Well-"

"How about half of us go collect material while the other help stays here to at least start building?" Misty suggested, looking over to Red who smiled and nodded before turning to the group.

"So who's going and who's staying?" Ash stopped talking to Paul and turned, giving his full attention to the current plan.

"Oh- I just remembered that Paul and Dawn weren't supposed to be allowed out of camp." Red sheepishly smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Red.. should also stay." Leaf nodded furiously, raising her hand up into the air.

"Then... May should also stay, right? Help us get the main structure set up?" Dawn stood up, pulling away from Lucas.

"So then Misty, Ash, Gary, Leaf, Lucas, and I should go?" Drew exchanged glances with Gary and Ash.

"That's six people going and only four staying. Shouldn't another person or two stay back and even everything out?" Lucas muttered, staring after his girlfriend as she moved closer to the edge of the log.

"Misty, Drew, Gary, and Leaf should certainly go. I mean, we need more supplies too, right?" May reasoned, kicking the sand beneath her feet up into the air.

"But then shouldn't we have a fifth person go for brute strength?" Gary took a few glances at Lucas, Ash, and Paul.

"I'm out." Paul grunted, putting his hands up in a surrendering position.

"So... Ash and Lucas.." Leaf nervously shifted in her seat next to Red. For a good minute there was pure silence aside from the rolling waves of the ocean.

"Alright!" Drew shouted, spiky teeth glistening as he opened his mouth, attracting everyone's attention. "I think we can all agree that whatever is going on between Paul, Dawn, and Lucas is ridiculous. In fact, one of these days I'm going to get so irritated that my gorgeous head will explode!"

"Your point is?" Lucas snorted, gritting his teeth.

"My point is that you guys should be separated. Dawn is your girlfriend, you've made that clear enough. But even if you have a relationship, we're all better off having her with Paul then with you who will hold us all back with your constant flirting!" Drew snorted right back at him, baring his fangs.

"And how the hell do you know those two won't hold you back with 'constant flirting'?" The raven-haired boy snapped, adjusting his scarf.

"Do you honestly think that Paul has the guts to pull a move on another guy's girlfriend? I mean, he couldn't even beat one savage." He laughed, flipping his hair.

"That's unfair to say! Paul has beaten more savages than you!" Dawn argued, raising an eyebrow. "And I can handle myself, don't treat me like some sort of distracting possession."

"I agree. Drew, it was dark out, everyone was tired, nobody really had a weapon, and not everyone can rip someone's throat out." Gary nodded, pulling one of Red's newly crafted spears out of the ground. He quickly felt his hand mold around the shaft of the spear before stabbing at the air, testing it out. Content, he smiled before shoving it back in the earth beneath his feet.

"Alright, I'll give him that, but still. He acted pretty wimpy back there." Drew shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"Don't be _too_ modest." May huffed, looking over at Paul who seemed as if he was reflecting on his actions. He stared down at his feet, ignoring Ash's many attempts to talk to him.

"Anyways, you were saying that Lucas should go with the group? What about Ash?" Misty directed the topic right back.

"I don't really have a good idea of Ash's strengths and weaknesses." Red commented, looking at the said boy up and down.

"I'm good at doing what I'm told!" Ash flashed a familiar toothy smile only making everyone sigh. "What?"

"That... doesn't help the situation at all.." Gary suddenly broke out laughing.

"Well.. I think that Ash should stay here and help us build." May voiced her opinion to which none objected.

"Alright. So let's get going!" The black-haired boy fist pumped the air. He led Misty, Drew, and Lucas into the woods. However, Gary stopped following Ash.

"How much do we need?" Gary tore his spear out of the ground before looking back at the remaining group.

"Mm... To make a shelter for ten? A whole lot." May pursed her lips, scanning the pile of materials they had gathered earlier.

"Hurry up and go, it's going to come very soon." Paul muttered, looking up at the cloudy sky above. "Maybe not today, but soon."

"R-Right!" Gary nodded.

* * *

 **Yeah... This is a very short chapter and that being I just felt like wrapping it up quickly..**

 **Anyways, I need to know.**

 **Should I time skip their gathering of materials and only focus in on the group that's building? Or would you want to see what's going on? I can always make things interesting for the group that's gathering, but I need ideas.**

 **Also, if you guys would like to see more of a ship, ex, pokeshipping, contestshipping, etc, just let me know. Because I know that it's not fun to read 5-9k words of just cutting wood, picking up junk, and other things.**

 **I really haven't got much to say. I'm not feeling too confident in my writing today. School has been slowly eating me alive.**

 **Uhm... That's all, I'm not feeling too peppy or excited right now either..**

 **Last thing, I'm going to advertise my story, Lovely Mine. It's on chapter 2 at the moment and I'd love for you to check it out.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Feel free to drop a review, it means a whole lot.**

 **Thanks.**

 **~Bear.**


	24. Chapter 24

**OMADGFIUHASDUYF SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST CHAPTER 24 IS HERE!**

 **Haha, I'm sorry I really slacked. School work, art, and Lovely Mine has been really taking up my time. Honestly, I'm beginning to prefer writing Lovely Mine over this. But, I'll try my best not to give up on this too easily.**

 **Ugh.. I'm so lazy..**

 **6/29/2016:**

 **So today I woke up and almost immediately I started throwing up blood and having a nosebleed. Since my parents weren't home I sat around bleeding for about an hour until my mom came home and took me to the hospital ^-^... Yeah, turns out I just had 'a little bloody nose'. So it's all good now! ):D**

 **Oooh! Once again, I offer my sincere apologies... I promised that SOTF would be completed this summer, but unfortunately, I don't think that such plans will be happening anytime soon. So, hey, that means more chapters, right? However, I'm afraid that I'll have to warn you guys ahead of time, but things will be quite slow...**

 **I'll be especially slow since I'll be concentrating all of my writing on Lovely Mine's chapters.**

 **WARNING: A LOT OF SHT WILL BE HAPPENING IN THIS CHAPTER****

 **Anyways, this'll be short, but Gratitude/Comments:**

 **Quick thanks to Tropicallight for reviewing on Chapter 23, I appreciate it a lot! I'm glad that you're reading my work on both of my ongoing fanfictions.**

 **That's it.**

 **Onto the chapter.**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:*_

 _I don't own Pokemon in any form._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 24:**_

"Set that over there."

"Hn.."

Paul stepped one of the large branches in the pile of supplies. He applied pressure before tearing it in half with ease.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Dawn called out to him, helping May hold together part of the frame.

"I'm coming, chill out.." Dragging half of the branch over to the two girls, he propped it up against a tree, hooking it on another branch up above.

"Took you long enough." May rolled her eyes and began to adjust the frame with her one arm.

"Looking good." Red nodded, coming up from behind the girl. He took it from the two girls and began to fix it, leaning it against the half-branch before digging the sides into the ground.

They had begun to build the frame and so far, things were looking pretty good. However, more supplies were needed and they couldn't do much without them. There were only a few branches and spare logs available along with many large leaves which would be used to block out rainfall. May had said that it would be wiser to make the walls and the roof of the shelter entirely out of wood before coating the hut with leaves. Meaning that more wood would be used to protect them from the typhoon.

"We used up half of the wood... Not even half of the frame is finished, are we seriously going to find enough wood to complete it and fill in the spots?" Dawn cocked her eyebrows, skeptical as she eyed the roomy frame. The shelter was massive as it needed to support nine teenagers including a very tall adult. Earlier, she had suggested that they make it smaller, but her idea was almost immediately dismissed by May.

"Don't worry about it." Paul grunted, hauling the last of the giant branches over to where the dome-like shelter was. Slowly, it began to take form as they added more wood which Red had found at the edge of the woods. It seemed like there must have been many storms in the past, way before they had even arrived on the island. Decaying wood scattered the grounds in the woods while many fallen branches could be found wedged in the earth.

"It'll be easier to find things now." Red looked up at the sky. As usual, it was cloudy, but the sun could just barely be seen. It peaked through the clouds and stood out among the familiar bright blue sky. "It's a new day, it'll be a while until it gets dark."

"How long have we been here?" Ash groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehead. In the end, it was decided that he would stay behind with May's group. So, Paul had to drag him away from the other group.

"Building? My estimation is about two hours." May looked from from what she was doing, flopping down on the sandy beach. She adjusted her sling before scanning the area for anything useful.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant how long have we been on the island?" He shook his head with a sigh, heaving a large rock from the ground and carrying it over to the frame. The raven-haired boy began to line rocks around it with Paul in order to create a better support.

"How the hell are we supposed to know?" Paul snorted.

"Wouldn't you know?" Ash frowned.

"What makes you say that?" He rolled his eyes at him, dropping a rock with a loud thump.

"I know you found a watch on that strange man." Now staring straight into Paul's eyes, Ash stood his ground. The last thing he wanted to be was swayed by Paul's icy gaze. By now, everyone had stopped what they were doing. Eyes were on the two, making Ash nervous. However, Paul didn't seem to be affected by it at all.

"What's he talking about?" May mumbled.

"Paul?" Red raised an eyebrow at this, shifting his armful of small sticks which he had brought for the campfire.

"I found a watch on the thing Drew killed. That's it." He grumbled. "It's no big deal, it doesn't show the date, just the time.."

"That's still helpful though, right?" Dawn looked around.

"I suppose. But if it doesn't show the date, that means it's not modern, right?" May inquired. "So the savages must have gotten here years before us?"

"Not necessarily. There are still modern watches that don't display dates." Red replied. "Gary also told me that the man was big and most definitely an adult. Many adults carry around old watches so that one watch doesn't determine the time that those... things started popping up here."

"This island is dangerous." Ash let out an exasperated sigh, tilting his cap upwards so that his eyes could meet the sunlight.

"Does Drew still have that Pokeball?" Dawn took some twigs from Red and began feeding them to the fire which was beginning to die out.

"I think so.." Paul nodded slowly, lifting a thick, heavy-looking rock from the seashore.

"I totally forgot about that!" May exclaimed. She walked back and forth around the frame of the shelter, making small readjustments.

"My best guess is that the Pokeball is broken. We don't have the technology to fix it, so I wouldn't think too much about it. It's not important." Red dropped the rest of the sticks next to Dawn before brushing himself off. The tall man tore his two spears from the ground.

"Going to fish?" Dawn looked up at him with glowing deep blue eyes. They did not sparkle at all like Leaf's or grow fiery and confident like Misty and May's. But even so, they were somewhat captivating in a terrifying way. Her orbs were deep like the ocean and thick like the night sky. In a way, they seemed tired and almost lifeless despite her lively personality and gentle smiles. Something about this girl really set Red on the edge and he didn't like the feeling one bit.

Something was incredibly off about her.

Red's eyes flickered over to Paul, who had continued to lift rocks and heave them across the beach to the frame. His muscles looked strained and beads of sweat fell from his face like Ash's did. Something deep within the man was telling him that Paul knew exactly what Dawn was. And if he was right, Dawn had a secret.

"Red?" The said girl questioned, tilting her head to the side to emphasize her confusion like Leaf normally does.

"O-Oh. Yeah, we're going to need to stock up on food in case the weather gets bad." These days, Red felt incredibly unprofessional. It seemed as if his abilities as a leader were beginning to slack when they were usually polished. In fact, one could say that he was beginning to act like one of the teenagers. He slowly turned around and walked towards his usual large rock located just before the drop-off. His pant legs were already rolled up so the man did not have to stop once he reached the ocean waters.

Mentally, he smacked himself. These kids needed him and slacking off would only get them all killed. Pursing his lips, he brought his clenched hand to his face, feeling the cool metal of his engagement ring. Red knew that when he needed a breather, thinking about his fiancée would make him feel better.

"It's almost done!" Ash shouted, causing Dawn to turn her head in his direction. Suddenly, Paul smacked him roughly over the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Paul, what was that for?" Dawn's eyebrows furrowed together as she walked over and towards the two boys.

"We've only got the frame and a little bit of the walls done. We're nowhere close to being finished." He snorted, shoving a large branch onto the structure with a loud clack and a crack of wood hitting wood.

"Be careful!" May growled at him, rushing over and gently running her hand against the wood. "You'll wreck everything with that carelessness."

"Says the one with the broken arm." Paul shot her an icy glare.

"It's not her fault." Dawn defended her friend.

"If she and that moron hadn't been racing to be the best, she would still have full use of her damn arm!"

"And if you hadn't flirted with Dawn, our group would still be cooperative!"

The violet-haired boy huffed, stomping off and into the woods.

"Where are you going?!" Ash hollered after him.

"To get supplies, dipshit." Paul replied loudly, twigs and leaves crackling and snapping as he made his way in.

"He didn't take his spear." Dawn mumbled, looking to her right where the spear was, stabbed into the soft sand.

"He can handle himself." May grunted.

"He's really mad.. Should I go get Red to calm him down?" Ash sighed, glancing around for the older man.

"Red's fishing. He said that we need to stock up on food." Dawn also let out a small sigh.

"Maybe you should go?" He suggested to the navy-blue haired girl.

"She'll only be leading him on. Dawn has a boyfriend, remember? Comforting Paul will only make the situation worse." May shook her head, readjusting the wood which Paul had carelessly slammed onto the structure. She ran her hand gently along the pale, light spots of the frame which had been painted on upon contact with the wood.

"Well we can't just leave him like that." Ash pursed his lips, shaking his head.

"But I'm sure Dawn doesn't want to try to tame that hurricane. It's a waste of valuable time." May scowled a little.

"I'll be honest with you, May. There's nothing much we can do or work on until the others get back. Besides, Paul hates me and really doesn't want to see you. Plus, they're both on camp suspension, remember Red's announcement?" He argued calmly.

"Well jesus, Ash. When did you become so logical?" May sighed. "I get that Dawn would be the best one to go, but we haven't considered her thoughts yet. Besides, since they're both on camp suspension, doesn't that mean that it'd be better for you to go? Red will get mad if both of them are gone at the same time."

"I'm smarter than you think." Ash bit the inside of his cheek upon hearing this. "And-"

"Look, I'll go." Dawn let out an exasperated sigh, tearing Paul's spear from the thick earth.

"But the camp suspension.." May's eyebrows furrowed together in worry. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Red, who was their leader and commander.

"I'll be back quickly. We both will." She replied, brushing her dirty clothing off before starting towards the edge of the woods.

"W-Wait!"

"May, she'll be fine." Ash grinned and waved as Dawn disappeared into the shadows of the towering trees.

"Are you sure? I mean.. It's Paul and.. she's got a boyfriend." May grumbled, slightly wishing that Drew or Leaf were around to lighten the mood.

"I thought you didn't like Lucas?" He questioned in response to her, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't.. But cheating is still wrong." She muttered, picking up one of the last branches and propping it up against the section of the frame closest to her.

"It's not cheating if she actually falls out of love with Lucas and in love with Paul. I mean, as long as she properly breaks ties with Lucas it's not considered cheating, right?" Ash reasoned, flopping down into the sand with a soft thud.

"Wow... That's a good point." May shifted her broken arm in it's makeshift sling before locking eyes with the raven-haired boy sitting practically at her feet. "You talk like you've been in love or something like that. Maybe you've observed true love before?"

"No. I haven't observed love, I've experienced it. And I am in love." He laughed sheepishly, blush coating his face.

"Really? You have a crush? Is it Misty?" May inquired. Of all people in the group, the only ones she'd have expected to be in love with someone were Gary, Leaf, Drew, Lucas, and possibly Dawn.

"Misty? Nah. She's a good person when she's not bashing my skull in and beating down my self-esteem, but I'm not interested. That girl hates my guts anyways."

"That's not true. Misty really likes you, she just covers that up with violence." May laughed, sitting down in the sand in front of the raven-haired boy. "So if the girl's not Misty, than who is it?"

"It's my girlfriend." Ash's eyes were suddenly hit with a wave of softness and love which spread and covered them.

"You have a girlfriend?!" May nearly shouted, eyes widening.

"Well.. I used to. She dumped me. But I still love her to the moon and back. Hell, I think I might love her even more than my... than my.."

"Your what?" She inquired, staring curiously at him as he took off his cap and ran his fingers through his greasy hair.

"I... I can't remember.." Ash grit his teeth in frustration before throwing his cap down onto the sand beside him.

"What do you mean?" May questioned.

"There's something.. Something important to me.. I remember gym battles and everything back before the crash. They were a whole lot of fun... But for some reason, my shoulder feels hollow and cold right now." Ash shivered, hot tears threatening to leak from his eyes.

"Shoulder? Don't you mean your heart?" She brought her good hand to her chest and stared at him in even more confusion.

"No, no.. It's my shoulder. Although now that I think about it.. Both my shoulder and my chest hurt." With a small cry, streams and streams of tears began to flow down his cheeks. He lowered his head in embarassment, grabbing fistfuls of sand as internal pain swept over him.

"Whoa- are you okay?" May panicked, looking around frantically for Red or somebody to come and help her out.

"My girlfriend doesn't love me, nobody loves me, and I can't even remember what I love!" Ash bit back a wail before letting out a crackly sob.

"O-Oh." May averted her eyes.

"People always look at me like I'm stupid or retarded or something. But I'm not, May, I'm not! I swear I'm not! I know a lot of things! They're always criticizing and discriminating me! I'm not mentally challenged or anything! Nobody likes me.. I swear if I could just commit suicide on this island, I would! B-But I can't... No.. Not yet! Because I've got to prove a point to my girl fri-"

Without thinking, May grabbed Ash and pulled him forward with all the strength her good arm could muster. She made sure to keep her bad arm out of the way so that it wouldn't be crushed as his body met her own. His stiff body language seemed to slacken and his cries became muffled. May readjusted herself before letting him fall into her chest and rest there. Despite his body relaxing, Ash's sobs only seemed to get more intense as she rested her chin on his head like a mother would a wailing child.

"Nothing is fair!" He cried, lifting his head and sniffing before slamming it back into her.

"Life isn't fair.." May shook her head, hugging him close to her body with her one arm.

"But why?!" Ash mumbled, tears wetting her clothing. May froze for a second. It had been days and days since she had last taken a shower, much less stepped into the sea or lake water. Of course, she knew that everyone in the group who hadn't been in the water smelled incredibly foul, but she couldn't even imagine how horrible her scent currently was. Flinching at the thought, she hesitantly glanced down at Ash. However, he seemed to be in too much pain to notice.

Although she was glad, May couldn't help but wonder whether or not Drew would have minded, much less said anything right to her face. Frowning mentally, she shook her head, realizing that Drew probably wouldn't hold back on firing a rude comment related to her body odor. But then again, nobody really smelled fresh and clean anymore.

"Why... you ask?" May murmured, startled as he started grabbing fistfuls of her shirt and trying to ball himself up into the fetal position.

"Mmm.." Ash slowly nodded into her chest.

"Well... Drew's really smart. And so is Leaf. Gary is too. Dawn and Paul are intelligent as well. And I don't know about Lucas, but I bet he knows a thing or two also. Then there's Red, he's a genius, you know? Misty's really super-duper smart, right? As for me, I don't really know how to answer your question. But we're all your friends and I'm sure when the others come back, you can ask them your question. I'm sure you'll get loads and loads of answers." May whispered softly, consoling her friend. It was a new side that she'd never seen before and May was not about to let this side of his disappear.

"They'll answer me honestly?"

"Yeah." May nodded her head, a gentle smile forming on her face.

"They won't think I'm retarded?"

"Nope."

"They won't call my question foolish?"

"Well... I think we both know that Paul might."

"Yeah.." Tears beginning to stop, Ash looked up at her with his usual toothy grin. His face was wet and it almost seemed to sparkle as the rays of sunlight peaked through the clouds and shined down on them.

"You... are quite sensitive, aren't you?" She laughed awkwardly.

"Is that a problem?" An instant frown appeared on his face.

"No. Not at all."

"I see. Well, that's good!" He sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Hey, Ash?" May gave him one last tight squeeze before slowly pulling back away from him. She took a moment to analyze her surroundings as she readjusted her clothing, which was wrinkled even more and wet with tears. It was also really messed up and sloppy-looking. Dark spots dotted and splattered the light-colored sand, dampening it with Ash's tears. The sand was also stirred up quite a bit and grains of it were everywhere on their clothes.

"Yeah?" He sniffled, wiping his eyes and nose with the sleeve of his shirt. Picking up his cap, he dumped the sand out of it before giving it a couple of pats. Ash put it back on his head before looking up at her. His eyes were a bit swollen and a tinge of pink outlined them. His face was no longer wet with tears and if you looked at him now, you would have almost never been able to tell that he had broken down crying just seconds ago.

"I think.. that if you gave your question to Misty to answer..."

"Hm? Can you speak just a little louder? I didn't hear the last part."

"It'd make her real happy."

* * *

"Move!"

Lucas hissed, shoved Drew to the side and tore a massive branch from its resting place beneath the leaves and roots on the ground.

"What gives, man?!" Drew scowled, shaking his head.

"You were in my way!" He replied aggressively.

"Hey man, chill a bit, okay?" Gary strolled by, tapping Lucas lightly on his back and giving Drew a friendly punch in the shoulder.

"Gary, get over here and help us!" Misty shouted, wheezing before dropping a long fallen limb of an oak tree.

"Whoa!" Leaf winced, almost falling back due to the amount of weight shifted from Misty's side to hers.

"What's going on?" The spiky-haired brunette stopped in front of the two girls. Scents of body-odor were strong in the area they were. Gary grit his teeth upon being hit with yet another wave of it. Being around the guys was bad enough, but usually women weren't supposed to smell like this. They were supposed to smell all flowery and nice, right? Or at least, that's what Gary was used to. He'd been so freaked out about crashing on a strange, scary island that he pretty much forgot about everyone's appearances and scents.

"It's stuck.." Leaf pouted, giving the branch one last tug before dropping it and stepping back. They had been in the same hour scavenging for what seemed like two hours or so. Most of the time, she and Misty were working on the one fallen arm. It was a good size and could be broken off in to many different parts to use on the shelter.

Rubbing his eyes, Gary sighed before kneeling down to inspect it. Upon closer examination, he realized that it was partially buried within the dirt. Following his eyes, Misty looked over at it.

"Oh! Never mind, I've got it, Gary." She walked over to the end of the branch and ran her fingers along it.

"Maybe we should try to cut i-"

Without hesitating, Misty slammed her foot down onto it. The sharp, loud splitting and splintering sound made everyone other than her wince. She pulled her foot back and ripped a piece of wood out of her sneaker before smashing the remains connecting the branch to the earth to bits.

"H-How'd you... do.. that?" Feeling the familiar wave of fear and shyness rush over her, Leaf whispered quietly, just barely audible.

"I'm actually sort of impressed." Lucas laughed, hauling his findings over to the pile of wood and plants that had been set up earlier.

"Is it really that big of a deal? I could do that." Drew flipped his hair and chuckled, returning to his search for medical supplies.

"The branch was already partially decayed and brittle around that part. No matter how thick it is, as long as it's still moist and flexible, anyone could break it." Misty snorted.

"Anyways, I think we'll have enough to finish the structure and build the walls. The only problem is the roof." Gary nodded as Leaf moved to help Misty pick up the branch. He made his way over to the pile and lined several logs up in his arms like rows. "Help me out, Drew."

"Seriously? You guys have interrupted me so many times already." The said boy groaned, tearing a couple dark green plants from the earth. His hands moved swiftly and carefully, dragging out the thin, white roots as well in a smooth, fluid motion. "Damn.." He grunted, slapping them on top of the ground as they were not what he was looking for.

"Just get some of your herbs, crap, and maybe some of the larger leaves. Put em' on here, we can carry more if we move like this." He looked and directed him over to the pile.

"Got it.." Drew sighed, eyes widening as he saw how large the pile had gotten since they had first moved into this area of the forest.

"You know, the roots disappear.. and the ground gets flatter... if you go a bit... further." Leaf murmured, shifting her end of the branch in her arms.

"So?" Lucas grumbled, brushing off his dirt-smothered pants and folding his arms.

"Hey, hey, let's drop the tone, okay?" Gary chided.

"What are you, my mother?" Lucas sighed, shaking his head. He didn't really want to pick a fight with his only ally.

"Anyways, Leaf." Drew shot a glare right at Lucas, piling herbs, leaves, and smaller sticks into Gary's arms. "What about the flat ground?"

"O-Oh! We... we could build a sled.. sometime... Then we'd be able to.. carry... more supplies.. in one trip.." Leaf murmured, staring nervously at Misty.

"That's... actually not a bad idea." Drew smiled, brightening up. He was relieved that they had possibly found a way to lighten the load. After all, soon foraging would become more difficult. With his tongue, he felt around his mouth. Drew remembered that his teeth were still as sharp as ever when one of his fangs scratched open his tongue. It bled into his mouth and the metallic taste of it was enough to bring him back to composure.

Days and days of living with these people out in the wild was stressing him out. They were always getting hurt, the bugs viciously attacked them at night when they weren't close to the fire, and they were unable to properly bathe or maintain dental hygiene. This island itself was also very confusing. There were oddities like two completely different trees somehow appearing and surviving on the island. Some of these plants shouldn't be able to survive in the climate of the island. Only the more tropical trees should and yet somehow the large oak was there. Drew stared down at the herbs in his dirt-stained hand. What next, an acorn tree? That would be helpful...

"Drew!" Lucas snapped his fingers in front of the chartreuse-haired boy's face.

"What?" He let out an exasperated sigh, glaring at Lucas.

"We want to know how many we should make. Should we make two specially for you and Leaf?" Misty looked at him, beginning to walk ahead of the group with Leaf. She had several roots and walnuts shoved in her back pockets. The ginger dragged her feet as she carried her half of the massive branch. The girl had taken the heavier and thicker side, leaving the smaller end of the branch to Leaf.

"Depends on the resources.. Leaf?" Drew pondered for a moment before called out to Leaf. Gary brushed past him, carrying a massive load of supplies. Lucas followed after him, taking the remains of what used to be their gigantic pile of scavenged goods.

"Just one... for us w-will do!" She stammered, stumbling in surprise upon hearing her name.

"What did she say?" Gary cocked an eyebrow, stopping and waiting for Drew.

"She said that they just need one!" Misty shouted. By now, the two girls were pretty far down the newly cleared path. In no time, they'd be back at the ocean. Misty was glad that they were done, but the walk would be torture. She'd much rather be swimming in the cool, salty ocean.

"But anyway, will the sleds and stuff even work? Although there are some clear paths, most of the woods have pretty muddy, bumpy, and rocky areas." Gary pointed out, continuing to walk. They had begun to pick up the pace, which was a good thing. He couldn't wait to get back to camp since his spiky hair was beginning to flatten right to his head. Over the past few days, he'd been using the salt water to keep it up, but unfortunately, water doesn't work as well as gel does.

"We'll never know unless we try." Drew shrugged.

"Can you guys pick up the pace?" Lucas snorted, brushing past the two boys.

"Sure, sure.." Gary sighed, stumbling to catch up to Misty and Leaf, leaving Drew to walk right behind Lucas. There was a good amount of silence, the only sounds were of them walking and treading through the woods.

"...I don't approve of you." Drew growled, tightening his arms around the load of herbs and leaves they had gathered. He moved to walk slightly ahead of Lucas, sending him a sharp glare as he passed.

"Hm? Did I ask you to?" Lucas retorted, shifting his own load of scavenged things in his left arm. The black haired boy stooped to rip a fairly large stick out of the ground before continuing to walk.

"I mean that I don't approve of you and Dawn." Drew snapped.

"Where's this coming from? Do you like her or something?" His eyes narrowed. "She's _my_ girlfriend you know. We love each other."

"Dawn? No, she's just a beloved member of the group. That girl really isn't my type." Drew flicked his hair, a certain brunette slowly coming to mind before he quickly blushed and shut the door on her.

"Then why do you care about my relationship with her?" He frowned even more.

"Are you two even dating? Does this even count? You literally just met each other on the plane."

"We've been dating for about a week or so." Lucas reasoned as if it was simple.

"No, you've been into each other for about a week or so. Besides, it doesn't even look like she's into you." Drew grumbled.

"What do you mean? She loves me and I love her." Lucas bristled in slight irritation.

"And exactly how far have you two gone? How many moments have you shared? Have you ever considered that she just accepted your confession in the beginning because she was desperate and afraid? She's not like that anymore, everyone can see it in her eyes, why don't you two just stop playing lovers-"

"Shut the fuck up, dick-head!" Lucas cut him off with a punch to the face.

"Shit!" Drew nearly screeched, falling backwards and letting go of his supplies. By now, he could feel the eyes of Misty, Leaf, and Gary on them.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Gary carefully set his stuff down onto the ground and rushed towards them.

"Who the hell are you to judge our relationship?!" Lucas shouted. "Dawn is mine and nobody but me can take her or her firsts!"

"You don't deserve her, you retard!" Drew shouted right back, holding his cheek. It was swollen and most certainly bruising over. Based on the force of impact, it would probably be black and blue for a couple days or maybe even a week. Pain surged through his head. The chartreuse-haired boy could feel a strong headache coming on.

"Hah?! If I don't deserve her, then who the hell does?!" Lucas readjusted the things he was holding. Although he seemed unfazed, Drew could see that his knuckles were pink. Despite the fact that he had managed to hit his cheek, Drew figured that his fist was probably sore from partially hitting his jaw. Grinning, he could only imagine that Lucas and his pain were fairly equal. Ha. Fucker.

"If anyone deserves her, it's the guy she's been around the most since the minute we got here!" Drew yelled.

"Guys, cut it out, we've got to get back!" Gary roared, but to no avail. The last thing they needed was more conflict and drama within the group.

"So basically me!" Lucas growled at Drew, completely ignoring Gary.

"No! That person is Paul!"

* * *

"Paul, where are you?!"

Dawn looked around, waving his spear about. He had stormed off so fast that she was left to follow his footprints which seemed like a never ending trail. They weren't supposed to be out of camp. In fact, she was certain that Red would give them an earful when they arrived back. After all, they were only causing trouble for the man by walking off like this. She sighed. How many times has she gotten into trouble by being in these woods? Far too many times for her to even want to remember.

"Paul!" She whined loudly. For what felt like fifteen minutes, she'd been walking through what seemed like the never ending woods. "Paul!"

Her calls were unheard as far as she could tell. Step by step, she travelled further into the woods. There was a decent amount of sun, but she knew that it wouldn't be long until dark. Being away from camp almost always terrified her. Dawn exhaled as her hands tightened around the shaft of Paul's spear. The wood was smooth and cool beneath her warm hands. Suddenly, she heard a rustle.

"Hey!" The girl's eyes shot upwards, looking around frantically. It was only seconds until her eyes locked on a dark figure dashing through the shadows of the woods. "Paul, don't you run away from me!"

Dawn broke into a run. She tripped over roots several times in an attempt to catch up to him. Had he always been this fast? Her lungs began to ache as she ran, dodging trees and climbing over larger rocks. She followed the figure the best she could, but it seemed to slink swiftly throughout the woods faster than one could even imagine. Each time she made a turn, Paul was far ahead, sprinting out of view.

Faster and faster she ran, pushing herself to the limits. The bluenette made an effort to follow Paul up, down, and around. She thrust herself over boulders, rocky patches, and flew over the small hills the best she could. The massive trees seemed to loom over her and she swore she had seen each and every one of them a million times.

"God damn it!" She cried out to herself, hitting the ground with a big thump. Shifting, Dawn blinked tears away. There had been a big rock that she couldn't move around and had decided to climb over. This one was a mossy rock, far larger than the others. It was easy to climb up, but it was quite difficult to get down. On her way down, she had slipped and fallen onto the ground. She slowly pulled herself to her feet. Dawn stared down at the large root that she had fallen on. Luckily she wasn't too far off the ground before she had glided downwards.

Slapping her cheeks, she made an attempt to knock a little bit more concentration into herself. She felt dizzy, but that didn't really matter. The exhilaration of trying to catch Paul was one of the many things that kept her moving. A look of disgust crossed her face as she realized that the scarf around her neck had been collecting her sweat. Shivering, she ignored it, shaking her head and bolting forwards for what felt like hours to her.

"Crap..." Dawn panted, completely out of breath. She flopped down on a nearby log. Her head was beginning to ache. Why on earth would he run away like that? The Paul she knew would talk to her about something. She slowly looked up and around. Great. She was lost.

Without another word, she stood up. Dawn brushed off her dirt coated knees and readjusted her skirt. She then took off her scarf and tied it around her forehead before pulling her beanie down her head so that it wouldn't fall off. Confidently grinning to herself, she set off in the direction in which Paul had rushed. It seemed as if she was constantly stopping and resting. However, it wouldn't be long until she was back on her feet, searching frantically for Paul.

"Paul!" Dawn called out as loudly as possible. She listened for a reply, but upon receiving none, picked up her pace.

* * *

"Hey, you're back!"

May shouted, watching as the second group that had been scavenging broke through the edge of the woods and onto the beach. They were each carrying loads of supplies, although she frowned upon taking a closer inspection. They had one massive stick and a few decently sized ones.

"Drew, why didn't you guys gather enough supplies for the structure?" She bit her lip as she watched Leaf and May walk by, setting the huge branch down. Lucas then strolled by, dropping about five long sticks down into the pile with several loud clacks and scratches.

"Of course we did. But we also found a whole lot of different supplies. Medical-wise and such." Drew responded, moving over to the campfire area and setting an armload of stuff in the makeshift storage which was now dozens of sticks tied together side-by-side and lined with rocks about the size of a hand. It wasn't great and it was exposed to rain and wind. However, it did keep the supplies off the ground, away from sand and dirt. "Maple, the things that we collected are about as valuable as a shelter."

"But this will never be enough!" May growled, eyebrows furrowing together.

"It's alright, May. We'll go out and get some more wood and leaves for the structure." Gary reassured, adding his own load to the storage.

"Gary... no..." Leaf shook her head, looking right up at him.

"Hm?" Drew raised an eyebrow as did May and Lucas who had walked over just seconds ago.

"It's... It's... It'll get dark out by the time we're done adding the rest of the materials to the structure..." Leaf explained.

"Leaf's right. You know, actually, we'll be able to get even closer to finishing the shelter. But, I don't think it'll be ready to sleep in or anything. It's really big, you know. We still have strengthen the frame, make adjustments, and fill it all in. It'll take a lot of effort." Misty nodded, taking a look at the shelter in question.

"So basically you're saying that we'll have to go out again tomorrow just to collect wood?" Gary sighed.

"What if we switch groups? You know, we stay back and build while you guys go collect tomorrow?" Drew suggested.

"That's a good idea. But now that I think about it, the group that's here has May and I'm certain that we need you and Leaf on hand even if we aren't looking for medical or edible supplies." Gary pondered for a good minute before shaking his head.

"If possible, would you guys please go out again tomorrow?" May pleaded.

"Wow. So Miss Piggy _can_ say please." Drew laughed.

"Shut it, you unripe banana." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Please, Misty? Gary? Leaf? Lucas...?"

"W-Why... don't we build the structure as much as we can and then go from there, supply-wise. You can never have too much, but it'd be nice to know whether or not we actually need more supplies." Ash interrupted, causing everyone to jump.

"Jesus, Ash." Misty gasped.

"Man, I didn't see you there." Gary chuckled.

"It's a good idea, I suppose... But I'm almost certain that we'll need more." May frowned. "There's only so much more you can do to a huge shelter like this with so little supplies."

"Just go with the flow... like me!" Drew flicked his greasy, matted hair the best he could.

"If we do that too much, then we'll all end up dead once the storm hits." May scowled, eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

"It's okay, May!" Ash smiled brightly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go get all the supplies by myself if we really need them!"

"Thanks... but it's not just you who needs to go out tomorrow." She murmured, icy eyes flickering among those of the second group.

"May, I assure you that things will get done." Misty nodded.

 **"Where's Paul and Dawn?"**

Red's booming voice caught everyone's attention. Looking back at him, May, like the others, eyed him up and down. There he stood, soaked with seawater from his waist down. In his hands were his two spears, holding two large skewered sea bass. Although the sight of fish made May hungry, the look on his face was what kept her stomach from rumbling aloud.

"Paul left and Dawn went after him." Ash replied casually.

"What?! How long have they been gone?" Red demanded. The grip he had around his spears tightened.

"Hmm... For hours, I think." May thought.

"And you two just let them go?!" He roared, shoving his things into Gary's hands. Red grabbed the collar of Ash's shirt. His eyes burned in worry and what the fearful Ash could see as rage. "You and May were supposed to be watching them!"

"W-We were?" Ash stammered.

"You knew that they were ordered to stay in camp!" Red yelled. "You were the man in charge! How could you have let them leave?!"

"Hey, why are you getting so mad at him?!" Misty screamed over Red's shouts.

"Red!" Drew and Gary could only stare, afraid to take any action against the man.

"Ash." Red muttered, seeing the terror in the boy's eyes. He released Ash's shirt, allowing him to stagger backwards. Luckily, Lucas caught him before he could fall.

"Y-Yes, sir?"

"Do you know why I'm mad?" The young man growled, clenching his fists.

"No... No I don't." Ash responded, causing everyone's breath to hitch. May shook her head with a sigh. He was digging his own grave.

"Drew." Red frowned at Ash.

"Yes, sir?" The chartreuse-haired boy replied immediately, staring directly into his sharp amber eyes.

"Where is the sun?" He muttered.

"Excuse me? I don't understand." Drew stiffly responded.

"Where is the sun right now?" Red folded his arms and took a deep breath. Quickly, Drew took a look around, frantically looking for the sun. The boy worriedly looked up at the others, however none seemed to show any signs of knowing the answers. Was this one of Red's tests or riddles? He couldn't tell. Drew took a couple seconds to scan the ocean, but it was then when the answer clicked within his head. It was so obvious. It wasn't a trick question or brain teaser or anything. "Drew. Give me the answer. Now."

"The sun is setting. At the moment, the ocean is splitting it in half. There's only about thirty seconds until dark." He replied confidently.

"Oh no..." Both May, Ash, Misty, and Lucas gasped.

"So does this mean that they'll have to survive the island's woods all night?" Gary murmured, planting the spears firmly into the sand.

"Unfortunately, yes." Red nodded. His eyes were as cold as ice, glowing in the darkening light.

"What... what about those... F-Ferox?" Leaf stuttered quietly.

"Ferox?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell is a Ferox?" Lucas snorted.

"Now's not the time." Misty growled, not wanting the group to get off topic.

"Oh!" May exclaimed. "I took a Latin class before we crash-landed. Ferox is Latin for fierce or wild right? So another word for savage?"

"I suppose classifying them as Ferox would be better than just screaming about a monster, right?" Drew nodded.

"But why Latin?" Ash questioned slowly.

"My father... he taught me... a little." Leaf murmured, looking at Red who seemed very aggravated. She didn't want to continue the conversation in front of him any longer.

"Anyways, why don't we just all go and find them?" Lucas spoke up. "I'm afraid Paul will make a move on my girlfriend at this rate."

"It's been hours, I bet they've already done it." Drew snorted.

"What the fuck was that?" Lucas snarled.

"Hey, listen up! I'm afraid to send anyone out at this hour. Having anyone else outside of camp will make me a nervous wreck!" Red admitted aloud.

"So you're just going to leave my girlfriend and that long-haired purple-headed freak to the woods?" Lucas growled, earning a glare from Leaf due to his lack of respect for Red.

"Paul doesn't have long hair anymore. He cut it off, remember?" Drew spat at Lucas.

"Anyways, I'm afraid so. I'll arrange a search party tomorrow. But now, the risk of getting lost in the dark woods is even higher then it would be during the day." Red replied as calmly as he could.

"But we also need to finish the shelter and possibly go on more scavenges for supplies!" May pointed out. "The shelter needs to be completed before the rain comes!"

"We get it, Maple, chill..." Drew mumbled, yawning and stretching.

"Are we done here? I think that everyone just needs the night to chill." Gary quietly commented. "This discussion is jumping back and forth. It's getting ridiculous!"

"That's right." Red nodded.

"But how am I supposed to sleep knowing that two important group members are out there in the dark? What if they never met up with each other? What if they're both all alone in the dark?" Misty raised her voice once more.

"To be honest, Mist... We can only wait. This island will either break them or make them stronger." Ash walked over and gave his ginger friend a hug.

"We should all turn in for the night." Red announced. "Tonight, Gary and I will take watch."

"Me? Just us?" Gary stared at the man for a brief moment.

"Yes, I want to talk to you." He replied, watching as the others walked past the campfire and into the clearing where the big oak lay.

"Red... can I be on watch duty too?" Leaf murmured, gently pulling on his arm. Gary pursed his lips, averting his eyes. Wordlessly, he ripped the two spears out of the sand.

"No, sweet Leafy, I need to talk to Gary alone. Besides, you need to get a good night sleep like the others." The young man gently pinched her cheek.

"But why doesn't Gary need to sleep?" She pouted like a child.

"Gary will get to sleep later, now go to bed. Oh- but before you go, will you check the tarp and the amount of water left? We need to crack down on supply management... Could you make sure its still stable? Its makeshift so I'm not sure how long it'll last." Red smiled down at Leaf, who compliantly fled towards the trees, just outside the entrance to the clearing. Red had moved it from its former spot, which was further back in the woods to the front for easier access.

Red exhaled, walking over to the campfire, where Gary had moved while he was talking to Leaf. He was sliding the fish off of the spears and wrapping them in large leaves, wet with cold salt water. Tomorrow, they would be stripped of their scales, bones, heads and cooked over the open fire.

"So..." Gary murmured, setting the fish to the side and looking up. Red had taken his seat on the log right across from him. The fire flickered back and forth in the wind. Gary felt himself getting uneasy. The flames of the campfire licked the man's face, bringing out his piercing amber eyes as well. Red's eyes always made him uncomfortable when he wasn't smiling.

"Gary, you understand that this island is very dangerous, correct?" He finally spoke, looking around. Upon seeing Leaf checking the tarp, Red lowered his voice further.

"Yes, sir. Of course I do." Gary gave a curt nod, trying to speak in the most respectful way possible.

"And I'm just curious... but if you could rank every male's fighting ability in this group, how would you do so?" Red gave a gentle smile as he noticed Gary's behavior. "I won't get mad and I won't tell anyone what you say, I'm just curious about what you think."

"But why do you want to know? Why do you want to know what I think?" Gary questioned him.

"Like I said, I'm curious. Besides, maybe there's something important that we may have to use this information for in the future. Also, I respect everyone's feedback and opinions." He shrugged.

"Well... Red, I've never seen you fight, so I won't count you. Is that fine?" The spiky-haired boy inquired. "I mean, I'm sure that you could fight well if you wanted to, but I don't really know."

"That's fine. Start from number one?" He chuckled. Although he was calm, Red was extremely worried and anxious on the inside. In fact, you could say that he was afraid. What would he do if Paul and Dawn never returned to camp or turned up dead? There was nothing within his power he could do but wait until tomorrow. Mentally brushing those thoughts away, he listened for Gary's response.

"Drew is number one."

"Why do you say that?" Red raised an eyebrow. He felt himself relax a tiny bit as he saw Leaf bed down next to May in the grassy clearing out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, he had his teeth sharpened and plated. On top of that, he's got a crazy talent for popping out of nowhere and moving around easily. I swear, he makes his presence disappear and then... boom! He'll come from the weirdest places. Like a couple days ago, I caught him hanging upside down from a tree branch. It was a small tree, but it scared the crap out of me. Also, there was that incident where he ripped that... Ferox's throat out." Gary explained.

"I see... next?" Red nodded in agreement. Even if Drew wasn't the most reserved or quiet, he was brilliant with talents and techniques that could almost make him seem like an assassin. But that was ridiculous. Especially since the boy was the son of two medical researchers. That boy... He both interested and slightly scared Red.

"I heard from the others that Paul is quick to react and knows exactly where to... assault. Apparently he's also a pretty composed guy, even when he's afraid. Although, I've also heard that he tends to freeze up and he's usually getting bashed around. When he's down, it takes him a while to get back up. You could say he's one of the anchors of this group, actually. At least, that's what I think. He's definitely loaded up with physical strength, but it doesn't really look like he actually knows how to fight with an organized mindset. He's good, but he's reckless... but then again, aren't we all? This island has been tearing us all apart." Gary stared blankly ahead, imagining the purple-haired boy in his head.

"So that makes him second?"

"No, not exactly. I'd say he's third, actually. I don't mean to boast or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than him. My father and grandfather were researchers. But, my mother was no stay-at-home-mom. She was really old and stuff, but she was actually an instructor at a dojo. I was forced to learn tae-kwon-do until I received my black belt." Gary laughed awkwardly. He felt a bit odd ranking himself above Paul, but as far as Gary knew, he was better and had more stamina.

"Hold up- didn't you place sixth in the Kanto Tae-Kwon-Do Regionals?" Red paused, eying Gary up and down.

"Yeah. When I was fifteen." He muffled a loud laugh.

"But you aren't doing it anymore? You're trying to become a professor?" The man questioned.

"I'm following my dreams, sir. I wasn't very good anyways. My mother knew that I wasn't a big fighter, but she told me that tae-kwon-do might eventually come in handy for impressing the ladies." Gary smiled softly. "She was quite wrong."

"What do you mean?" Red inquired, scratching his stubble.

"I became temporarily serious about tae-kwon-do when I was fifteen. That was the beginning of the most depressing area of my teenage life so far." Gary cleared his throat before continuing. "I plowed through so many girlfriends that year, but dating them made me realize something..."

"And what's that?" Red smiled a little bit, moving a log in the fire slightly with one of his spears.

"None of them accepted my weak self like a certain someone did." Gary smiled to himself.

"Who was that someone?" He questioned, even more curious than he was before.

"'Can't tell you." The brunette grinned childishly.

"Why not?" Red raised an eyebrow.

"It's a secret!" Gary replied cheerfully, bringing his finger to his lips.

"Shh, you might wake everyone, including Leaf, up." Red chuckled.

"That reminds me... do you think that Paul and Dawn will be alright?" A frown brought the atmosphere between the two to a rather grim point.

"I can't say for sure, but if they've met up, I'm sure that Paul will protect her." Red nodded slowly to himself.

"I'm scared for them." Gary groaned, shoving his head into his hands.

"I think we all are." He responded with a grim look on his face.

"If we lose Dawn, then all sorts of things could happen. Sure, Ash and Leaf also keep the mood bright, but Dawn is especially good at it. Also, there's trouble that might arise with Lucas if something happens to her." The boy murmured.

"I see your point. And if we lose Paul, then not only do we lose a strong fighter, but we also lose his..." Red paused. "I suppose I haven't really talked with him or observed him too much."

"So you don't really know anything about his life before the crash or what he's good at aside from fighting and getting grumpy?" Gary muffled a small laugh.

"Unfortunately, he's not a very open person if you didn't already know." The man joked.

"Yeah... But he's very mysterious and I'd like to know more about him." Gary picked up a fairly long stick which was laying next to the log he was sitting on. His eyes gazed upon the embers flying up as he jabbed at one of the logs in the campfire.

"Same here." Red nodded. "You know, I think that you'd make a pretty good leader."

"What do you mean?! You're the leader here! The most experiences!" Gary panicked.

"Calm down. I'm not going to just randomly decide to put you in charge. I'm just pointing out the fact that I trust you." Red laughed.

"That's good..."

"Why do you look so relieved?" Red had a feeling that he knew why. But he wanted to get a good idea of what the teenagers were thinking.

"It's just... This island is so strange and... messed up. I'm terrified and confused. It's almost like someone put this together as an experiment. It's all too creepy to be natural." Gary replied, shivering a bit.

"I suppose I agree. Everything's a bit off. Although there's nothing much we can do about it. We're here and the only thing we can do is stay alive." Sticking his hand out, Red looked up at the sky. It was beginning to drizzle.

"Honestly Red, there are so many questions I have that I know will probably never be answered any time soon. Dawn and Paul, the pokeball, the mysterious presence of foreign plants, what we've begun to call Ferox, everything. I'm sure there's more, but right now I don't think I can really process every single thing that's happened. Also, I agree with May and I have worries that we won't be able to get a shelter in time. There's a typhoon coming, I can feel it and I know you and everyone else feel it too." Gary rambled, spitting out word after word. He was speaking so quickly that Red had to pause for a couple moments, just to make sure that he noted everything the teenage boy just told him. "I feel as if I should be more confused, more afraid, more concerned, but I don't even know what to think anymore."

"What you say is interesting. I sure would love to know why we weren't screaming aloud in fear and anxiety or giving up on life the minute we crashed and ended up here." Red sighed again, standing up. "Perhaps we should at least take shelter from the rain."

"I... suppose." Gary murmured, running his hands through his hair which was now slightly damp with rainwater.

"Is the tarp up? We were running low on drinking water." He absentmindedly looked around. It seemed as if everything, exhaustion and stress, were catching up to the man.

"You told Leaf to check it, remember? It's up."

"Ah... That's good." Red took his spears and headed into the clearing where everyone was sleeping. He sat down and leaned against the large oak tree. His dazed eyes watched Gary take shelter at the edge of the clearing, where the thick tree tops stopped the water from falling. It was where everyone else had bed down for the night.

"Why am I... not terrified?" The man thought. "Why am I not as confused as I should be? What's keeping me from going insane? Is it... you?"

He gently caressed his engagement ring.

* * *

 **I'm done :U**

 **There may just be a huge plot twist in the future which will explain why everything is so illogical and messed up. It'll also explain why everyone was so seemingly calm when they woke up as strangers to each other, uhuhuhu. It... It just explains everything. Don't get your hopes up though, I can't guarantee that you'll love it. It's something I've been planning, but I've made some changes. Did I rush things including this chapter? Yes. Yes I did. You know why? I'm sorry, but I might just drop this fanfiction entirely. As much as I'd love to finish it, it's kind of a pain to write.**

 **But then... There's this other voice in my head that's beating me down and calling me a loser for wanting to quit after I've gotten this far.**

 **I'm absolutely tired of writing and drawing right now. However I can't give it up because those are the only two things that I'm at least decent at. #nomotivation. Hopefully you guys, or at least, whatever's left of you, will stick around until the very end. I'm determined to get this story marked complete, but i've just sort of hit a wall for now. I'll try to get around to writing. I really should be free for the summer... But motivation is my problem. I also have to finish my summer homework which I haven't really started on yet... oops. I'll get around to that.**

 **Call me lazy. I totally am. I feel hollow and blank.**

 **Until next time.**

 **~Bear**


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